Protecting Harry Potter
by The Giant Daifuku
Summary: Naruto, Temari, Gaara, and Sakura are hired by Dumbledore to guard Hogwarts from a bloodlusting Dark Lord. Battle, adventure, and occasional humorous moments hide between the folds!
1. The Mission

**Hi, everybody, this is The Giant Daifuku… writing for the first time. Reviews are greatly appreciated, so after reading if you could drop me one, that would be great.**

**I'm not a big romance writer, so I doubt there will be any in here. Any you find may be purely accidental… but if you find a good foothold you may be able to convince me to write something.**

**And here is the disclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto; these stories are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and J.K Rowling.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Temari, and Gaara stood before Tsunade's desk, undergoing the Hokage's burning scrutiny. Naruto fidgeted, first looking out the window, then at Shizune, and finally, Tsunade, before his eyes darted toward the window again. _I wonder how long it will take me to cross the room and out that window before Granny Tsunade__—_

"NARUTO!" Tsunade barked, and the orange ninja leaped to attention. "Don't even try. I know what you're thinking." Naruto sighed forlornly.

"Granny Tsunade, when are you gonna stop staring holes through us and give us the mission?" Naruto cried, hopping from one foot to the other. He pointed his finger like a pistol toward the two sand shinobi. "And why do they have to come? We could have picked Kiba, or Shikamaru, or Shino or—"

"NARUTO!" Tsunade shouted for the second time. "I'm getting there, just calm down already! The reason that we have chosen Gaara and Temari to do this job with you is that we need to deepen the diplomatic relation between Leaf and Sand. I _know_ what happened during the Chūnin Exams, okay, but we have both returned to the alliance; this means we must cooperate. Got it, knuckle head?" Naruto nodded, muttering darkly.

"I said, GOT IT?" Tsunade roared, her fist solidly connecting with the side of Naruto's head and sending him flying through the wall of her office.

"Yes, Granny Tsunade…" Naruto's voice came from a pile of rubble.

"Remind me not to make you mad, Lady Hokage." Temari remarked, staring at the Naruto shaped hole in the wall. Gaara allowed a thin smile to grace his lips.

* * *

"Now to business." Tsunade straightened out the mission papers on her desk. She unrolled a large map, presenting it to the four ninja. "This is a continent called Europe; it is home to one of the largest magical communities in the world. These people call themselves 'wizards', and harness their magical abilities by means of a wooden stick called a wand."

Temari frowned. "Excuse me for interrupting, but wouldn't this mean that if you lose your wand, or have it broken, then you couldn't do magic anymore?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. In fact, it is a common wizarding punishment to snap the wand of criminals before sending them to prison. But you can by another wand." She said hurriedly, as Temari opened her mouth again. "In order to blend in a little better with the wizards, all of you will be getting a wand for this mission."

"The mission is as follows. During the year, you must go into Europe in order to guard a school for witches and wizards called Hogwarts. To be more specific, the primary objective is to guard a boy named Harry Potter. Hogwarts comes second; if Potter should die, the wizarding world will fall… and I do not doubt that war will arrive upon our doorstep."

"Who are we protecting Potter from?" Gaara asked, straight forward as usual.

"A Dark Wizard, who calls himself Voldemort. He was gravely injured when he tried to kill Harry, who was just a baby."

Naruto snorted. "He doesn't seem like a big deal if he couldn't even kill a baby."

Tsunade sneered. "But he is: he is the most powerful dark wizard the land has ever seen. We aren't sure, but he may even be able to match Orochimaru for all the danger he poses. The only person who can stop him seems to be that Potter kid, and that is why he must be protected.

I do not wish to be involved in another war. Not now, while we are weak. The danger must be nipped at the bud. The client will meet you at the front gate for transportation to England at five o'clock this afternoon. Please; try not to be late."

Gaara arrived with Temari first, appearing in a swirl of sand near an old man with an amazingly long beard and a strange midnight blue gown.

"Hey, Gaara— is it me, or is that guy wearing a dress?" Temari asked loudly, attracting the gaze of the man. Gaara merely smirked.

"For your information, young lady, this is a casual wizard's robe, not a dress," the man said kindly, bright blue eyes twinkling behind half moon glasses. Temari looked him up and down with a critical eye, taking in the pointed hat and the end of a wand poking out of his belt.

"Are you a wizard?" she asked. The man was just about to answer when Naruto and Sakura arrived.

"You must be the four ninja the Lady Hokage sent." The man introduced himself to the team. "Yes, I am a wizard: My name is Albus Dumbledore; head master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are…?"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Temari and Gaara of the Desert!" Temari spoke for her brother.

Naruto punched a fist in the air, a huge smile on his face. "Yeah, let's get this mission started!"

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Excited to start, I see! Let us get going; we will use this port key here." He produced a grimy tin can from his robes. Sakura wrinkled her nose slightly.

"Sorry, sir, but isn't that a little…?" She trailed off.

"Dirty? No, no. This is a port key, a magical transportation device. If you feel uncomfortable touching it that much, a finger will do, my dear!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Now hurry, though, it will work in about twenty seconds." Sakura put a doubtful finger on the cleanest bit of can she could find, followed by the rest of the ninja. Twenty seconds later, they were still standing there. Gaara briefly wondered how stupid they looked, four trained shinobi and an ancient old man clustered around a dirty little can. Indeed, some of the gate guards were giving them strange looks. Naruto voiced all their thoughts.

"Grandpa, are you sure this is gonna work?" Dumbledore checked his watch. Sakura stole a glance at it. Small planets revolved around the rim, and there were many hands, none of which made any sense.

It seemed to make sense to Dumbledore though, because he said "Hold on tight!" The world vanished in a blur of sound and color as a strange force took hold behind their stomachs and jerked them forward. They landed in a heap in front of the Head Master's massive desk.

The ninja struggled to their feet, eyes everywhere at once. "It looks like we've all arrived in one piece!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The term has just started, and most of the students should be in bed."

"Most?" Sakura questioned.

"Some of the students have a tendency to wander about after hours, despite an enforced curfew. Please, as you acquaint yourselves with the school, watch for students out of bed. And _try_ not to injure them."

* * *

Thanks for reading the first chapter! Now press the shiny R&R button down there… you know you want to…


	2. In Which Enlightenment Occurs

**Now returning to our story… the second chapter. **

**Thanks for all of you guys who reviewed: ****Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-I, Mitsu-Aya33, and scorpionxsubzero95, Hitokiri Shinzui, and darkemoperson. And to ****Crazy-Psycho-Anime-Lover, ****xxmisfit121, ****Slivergriffen10, kuroyukihime2****, ****and dawnofwar****for putting this story under favorites! For those of you anonymous people reading, I have recently enabled anonymous reviews, so go ahead and review if you wish; your opinion is important to me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto, those are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and J.K Rowling.**

* * *

Naruto woke from a blissful dream about eating thirty bowls of Ichiraku's ramen when a large barn owl rapped on the window of the room the ninja shared. Tied to its

_To the ninja guardians;_

_Please report to my office at ten o'clock this morning._

_Regards,_

_Dumbledore_

Naruto looked out the window. The sun just starting to began its journey across the sky; it could not be later than seven. Suddenly, the shinobi frowned, looking around the room. He spotted Gaara seated in a corner near the door, eyes skimming the miniscule text of a book.

"Gaara? What happened last night?" Naruto asked. "I remember walking around the halls, and then I woke up here."

Gaara glanced at him. "You were tired from all the excitement and fell asleep when we were patrolling the corridors." He said simply.

Naruto smiled a huge, foxy grin. "Aw, you didn't have to carry me back!" he cried. Gaara pointedly returned his gaze to the book. Naruto grumbled as he exchanged the set of blue and white pajamas he wore for his trademark eye-blinding orange suit. "Fine, be that way."

By ten o'clock, the shinobi, refreshed from patrolling the school, reported to Dumbledore's office. Naruto noticed Fawkes immediately and bounded over, yelling with delight.

"What kind of bird _is_ that! It's incredible!" Naruto cried, extending a hand toward the phoenix. In response, Fawkes shrieked a warning, leaning away and letting a burst of flame briefly cover its feathers. Naruto jumped in surprise. Sakura shook her head.

"Naruto, you have to be gentle with animals, like this!" she reproached him. Slowly, she approached the phoenix, hand raised as if to let the bird smell it. After a moment, she stroked the back of the golden red head. Dumbledore chuckled from behind his desk.

"That, dear children, is a phoenix. Yes, I mean the firebird capable of rebirth from its own ashes." He said, answering the shocked looks on the shinobi's faces. "How did the night go?" Dumbledore asked. Temari shrugged.

"We caught a few kids sneaking around out of bed. We dealt with them." she replied. At the Headmaster's raised eyebrows, she added, "Nothing fatal or painful, at least."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "I see. You may be wondering now, what this meeting is about. This year, Hogwarts is the proud host of the Triwizard Tournament, a competition between the three wizarding schools of Europe: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. The champions from each school will be decided by the Goblet of Fire.

Now, each of the schools will be staying in a house dormitory. For extra protection, seeing that there are four of you, each will guard one house. Will that work out?"

The ninja winced, thinking of long nights in unfamiliar territory. Gaara stepped forward. "I do not sleep, Professor. I would be willing to patrol Hogwarts as a night guard." Dumbledore and the others looked at him. Sakura voiced all their thoughts.

"By _yourself_?"

"Of course. I have no need of sleep; I can create and maintain simple clones to help myself to patrol the castle." Temari put a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Don't over do it, you hear me? If you lose it, I swear I'll…" She began, but at Gaara's raised invisible eyebrow, she hurried on. "Do something you'll regret! I'm sure Kankuro would like to know who let Chiyo come and dissect all his puppets!" Gaara muttered something that sounded like "He deserved it," but nodded anyway.

Dumbledore smiled cheerily. "Now that everything is squared away, I will tell you who will guard which house. Sakura, be so kind to guard Ravenclaw, Naruto guard Hufflepuff, if you will, Temari, take care of the Slytherins, and try to be patient with them. Finally, Gaara, you will guard Gryffindor. It is the house that I believe warrants the most security, since it is the house of Harry Potter, and because you are awake all night, I think you will be most suited to keeping an eye on Harry's… nightly escapades." Naruto elbowed his friend in the ribs.

"Good luck, Gaara!" he said slyly.

"Help him and you _will_ die." came the sour reply. Dumbledore continued as if nothing happened.

"Now, let us go to Diagon Alley to get your wands. Don't worry, the school will pay!" He said, as Temari protested they had no money.

* * *

Diagon Alley was narrow, crowded, and very _very_ busy. As they moved along toward a tiny shop called Ollivander's, the ninja were bumped, jostled, and generally crushed by the crowd as they made a respectful room for Dumbledore to go.

"Hey, we're with Grandpa! They should at least give _us _room too!" Naruto grumbled.

Finally, they reached the shop and entered. Their senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of musty wood and ages of dust. Ollivander slid out from behind a shelf, his crazed hair and large silvery eyes causing the shinobi to jump. Naruto leaped behind Sakura, shrieking about ghosts. Sakura pounded his head.

"Stop being rude, idiot!" she shouted. Ollivander procured a tape measurer from the inside of his large, billowing robes.

"Ah, a lively bunch, I see. You must be the ninja that Dumbledore told me would be coming. Very pleased to meet you; I am Ollivander. Now, who would like to be measured first?"

Sakura, none too gently, nudged Naruto forward, who looked as if he would rather be running far, far away from the shop. He looked beseechingly toward Temari and Gaara. Temari tilted her head toward Ollivander, as if to say _get on with it!_ And Gaara said under his breath, "Come on, Naruto, are you scared of an old man?" This seemed to give Naruto some resolve, and he stepped forward firmly. Ollivander nodded approvingly and asked,

"Which is your dominant hand?"

"Er, my right?"

Ollivander began measuring Naruto's arm, then around his wrist. The old man walked away toward a shelf full of long boxes of wands, and Naruto realized that the tape measurer, which was measuring the distance between his eyes, was measuring by itself. Ollivander returned with a wand. He made a satisfied sound, and the measurer crumpled to the floor in a heap.

From the box, he withdrew a short reddish brown wand. "Try this, Mr. Uzumaki," Ollivander said, ignoring the start Naruto made. Glancing at his teammates, Naruto mouthed _"How did he know my name?"_ The old man continued. "This wand is ten inches, made of maple, with a core of dragon heartstring. Quite good for charms." he stepped back. Seeing Naruto's blank face, he gestured with a hand. "Well? Go on, give it a wave!"

Feeling stupid, Naruto randomly waved the wand, and a flower pot on a shelf over the other ninja's heads exploded. In a flash, Gaara's sand formed a shelter, and the jagged shards of broken pottery rained down harmlessly, bouncing off the sand and clattering to the floor. Naruto cautiously put the wand back in the box. Sakura treated Naruto to _the glare_ and cracked her knuckles, promising a beating later. Sweating, Naruto looked back to the new wand Ollivander was bringing.

"Twelve-and-a-half inches, pine and phoenix feather, very stiff. Try it out, please." Naruto picked up the brown wand as if it contained the plague. When Naruto gave it a quick slash though the air, a blast of flame and orange energy erupted out of the wand before it shattered. Ollivander looked at Naruto searchingly, his silver eyes seeming to search Naruto's soul, before moving on to the rest of the ninja. Sakura looked at the ground, Temari stared back defiantly, and Gaara narrowed his eyes in an icy stare. Finally, he laughed.

"My dear friend Dumbledore; it is useless to attempt finding a wand for these children! Their magical core is different from ours, and they do not require something to channel their energy. It is as if their entire body is a wand, a magical conductor, that can be manipulated at will! Any attempt to introduce a foreign channel will result in failure, just like that broken wand. Quite some formidable guards you have hired here, Dumbledore, even if they are only fourteen and sixteen." Ollivander seemed pleased as he ushered them out of his shop.

* * *

Dumbledore led the ninja back down to a secluded part of the alley, where he then apparated them back into Hogsmeade and finally walked up to the castle. The shinobi had never seen the outside of Hogwarts before, and Temari craned her head back to see all of the jutting spires that reached toward the sky.

"Wow… this place is huge! Are you sure you can guard this entire place by yourself at night, Gaara?" she asked. Gaara nodded.

"I am positive."

Dumbledore stopped at the door and turned toward them. "In a few hours, the other two schools will arrive and the opening ceremony of the tournament will begin. Please relax or prepare in that time!"

Since it was still light, the ninja decided to explore their surroundings a little more. Their room was small but comfortable, hidden behind a painting of a proud, twisted pine tree on the edge of a cliff; if one drew a circle with their finger on one of the gnarled branches, they would find that the branch was now a door handle that would grant them access to the room (but none of the students need to know that). The beds, arranged in each corner of the room, were separated by screens to give privacy or the illusion of having one's own room. Temari had already decorated her part with small posters and ornamental fans. In Gaara's "room," a small potted cactus sat on the bedside table, a card tied around the pot, which read: _"To Gaara, from Kankuro: a gift to keep you company during the night. I hope it falls on you."_

Naruto had a huge picture of ramen taped to the wall, and every night he would kneel before it and light incense and begin to— not really. Sakura's was the simplest of all: the only adornment was a framed picture of Team Seven together.

By nightfall, the students had gathered in the Great Hall, and all rushed outside as a gigantic carriage, pulled by winged horses, plummeted from the sky, and a great boat emerged in a huge whirlpool from the lake. Temari whistled.

"These wizards sure know how to make a dramatic appearance." she said. Naruto smiled a mischeivious smile.

"Now that you mention it, if we don't do something awesome, I'd feel embarrassed." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I guess we could do some jutsu to get into the hall." Gaara said contemplatively. From their vantage point at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they could see the students milling around the horses or gazing in awe at the ship. Unnoticed, the shinobi sneaked into the Great Hall and vanished like smoke.

* * *

And there we have the end of the second chapter! Introductions will happen next. Thanks for reading, now please review. Like I said, I have now enabled anonymous reviews, so any anonymous readers please feel free to do so… I value your opinion as much as any member's, though I won't be able to respond.

Thanks, The Giant Daifuku


	3. Where a Food Fight Breaks Out

**The third chapter of Protecting Harry Potter has arrived! I am so thankful for everybody's support, that I probably look like Rock Lee right now… (Imagine Lee with his teary face saluting with a magnificent sunset). THANK YOU EVERYBODY! Thanks to ****darkemoperson, Mitsu-Aya33, and Yumetaka Kourui for reviewing, and SoulNinjas for adding me to his favorite authors list.**

**Just for clarification, Harry is fifteen. I don't know if that's how old he really is, but if he started when he was eleven, and now it's four years later, I guess he is fifteen. The ninja, except for Temari, are fourteen, and Temari is sixteen. I think the sand siblings are all one year apart… correct if I am wrong, though. The fict will become slightly focused on Gaara because he is the one guarding Gryffindor.**

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, the former two in awe as the students of Durmstrang marched in, followed by the proud countenances of Viktor Krum and Igor Karkaroff. Ron nudged Harry, mouth agape.

"It's him, Harry, it's Viktor Krum! I'd no idea he was still in school!" Ron whispered excitedly. "Think I can get an autograph?"

Dumbledore, smiling as usual, shook Karkaroff's hand warmly, and patted him on the back. Karkaroff grinned, his mouth full of yellow teeth. "Ah, Dumbledore, old friend! It is good to be back at Hogwarts again."

Ron pushed Harry. "Come on, make some room, Harry, maybe they'll sit at our table!" he said excitedly. Harry shook his head.

"There's no point, Ron, look!" he pointed to the Slytherin table, where the Durmstrang students were already settling in. Malfoy immediately leaned forward to talk to Krum. Ron snarled.

"He looks like a rat at the cheese! It makes me so annoyed!" His attention was diverted as the girls of Beauxbatons Academy entered, wrapped in many coats and mufflers. Hermione laughed derisively.

"They look cold, don't they?" she asked. Ron gave her a dirty look.

"You're just jealous, 'Mione. Look, that girl must be part _veela_!" Ron exclaimed. Harry had to remember to keep his mouth shut as a girl of incredible beauty walked past, blonde hair blowing in her wake. The girl followed her classmates to sit at the Hufflepuff table.

"I am _not_." Hermione snapped. Dumbledore took Madame Maxime's hand and kissed it, the top of his pointed hat tickling her high chin. A low murmur broke out in the hall about her height.

Dumbledore turned back to the assembled crowd. "And now, I have one more announcement!" he said, his voice booming in the Great Hall. "I have invited four guards from the Shinobi, or Ninja Continent, to join us and help with security during the great Triwizard tournament! You may come down now," he said, seemingly to no one in particular. Harry furrowed his brows.

"Guards? Hidden Villages? Do you know what those are, Hermione?" Hermione shook her head and placed a finger over her lips.

"Quiet, Harry… look!"

From the rafters, a cold breeze blew over the hall, and suddenly, a blonde girl riding a huge iron fan drifted down from above, seemingly delicate as a leaf in the wind. However, judging from her breastplate and proud chin, she was anything but.

Dumbledore gestured to her with an open hand.

"I give you Temari of the Desert!" The students clapped politely, while Ron looked at the ceiling.

"I didn't even see her up there… where did she come from?" he muttered.

Dumbledore continued as a whirl of sand appeared, eventually taking on the shape of a red haired boy with black rings around his eyes and a tattoo on his forehead.

"Gaara of the Desert!" More clapping, and Gaara's eyes wandered across the room, taking in the immense hanging banners that marked each house's table.

"Sakura Haruno!" A swirl of leaves became a pinkette in a red dress. She smiled shyly and waved at all the students. Dumbledore turned toward her. "By the way, where is our dear friend Naruto right now?" Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she looked around without seeing him, before mouthing the question to the two Sand Siblings. Temari glanced around the room before shrugging, while Gaara closed his eyes, seeking out Naruto's chakra signature before making a face and opening his eyes once more. "You'll see…" he groaned. Dumbledore nodded and returned to his speech. "All of them are your guards for the year, so treat them nicely!" he finished. The students turned to the long tables as the platters filled with food.

Or so they thought.

Instead of food, each house table filled up with enormous amounts of Narutos stuffing their faces with food. Dumbledore, seemingly oblivious to the spectacle, simply helped himself to roast beef and green beans, while silence reigned.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed, her face turning red. All the heads of the Narutos turned toward her at the same time, eerily. At the same, a thousand orange clad hands raised fistfuls of whatever food they could find. Sakura paled. "Oh no…"

Gaara, the moment the first molecule of food began to fly, vanished. Sakura turned red again. "Coward!" she shrieked, attempting to find someplace to take cover. Temari stood amused until somehow, steak and kidney pudding was dripping down her iron breastplate. Then she got very angry. "Naruto Uzumaki! You little… little… TOAD!" she howled, before raising her massive fan, and with a great war cry, entered the fray, laying about with the fan like a club.

When the food should have run out, it kept being replenished, much to the glee of Fred and George Weasley. Wearing identical evil grins, together they lifted a tureen full of bouillabaisse, their unfortunate victim being Argus Filch, and his cat Ms. Norris. The unlucky caretaker, suddenly seeing them, attempted to flee, but the dish became airborne and was dumped on his head, while Ms. Norris yowled.

The hall was filled with screams as every student in Hogwarts joined the fight. The Beauxbatons girls, shrieking as their silk uniforms were soiled, covered their heads and sprinted into the entrance hall, to the delight of Peeves. The Durmstrang students, though they chose to stay, scowled and conjured shielding charms and sat well out of the way of any delectable missiles.

Sakura fought her way through a heaving sea of food and bodies. Suddenly, she realized the next dish coming up, if the entrée was flying around her head, was dessert. Indeed, the first parfait had appeared on the Gryffindor table. As she looked around, she several more, as well as various cakes, ice creams, tarts, puddings, jellies, éclairs and pies being sent up onto the long tables.

"Oh no," she shouted. "Enough is enough, Naruto!" her hands curled into glowing purple fists. The Narutos stopped and began to run, Sakura hot on their heels. They were stopped by the cluster of Beauxbatons girls, who formed a brisling shield of slapping hands and low kicking high-heeled feet. Finally, Sakura cornered a Naruto and advanced on it, while it gibbered away.

"No way!" it shouted. "I'm not the real Naruto! He is!" it pointed at a random clone that was trying to escape the hall. Sakura smiled evilly, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm sure you're the right one, all right." she said, before smashing her fist into his face and sending him soaring through the stone wall of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. The clones vanished in a cloud of smoke, en masse with a loud popping noise.

Dumbledore finally looked up from his meal and surveyed the chaos. The Weasley twins were doused in whipped cream with a few cherries stuck in their red hair. Hermione, looking disgruntled, was covered with steak drippings. Harry and Ron were grinning, Yorkshire pudding smeared on their cheeks. Igor Karkaroff, looking annoyed, asked Dumbledore,

"What in the name of Merlin's beard has happened in your school, Dumbledore?" Madam Maxime also was displeased. "That is no way for students to behave, Dumbly-dorr." Dumbledore was unperturbed. Simply raising his wand, and giving a few well placed flicks, the hall was restored to its former state, the hole in the wall caused by Naruto magically repairing itself, while all the students, now clean, soared back to their spots. The Beauxbatons girls cautiously made their way back to the Hufflepuff table.

Another crash; Naruto came flying through the door now, several bumps on his head. Sakura stomped in after him, dragging him to his feet and back to the front of the hall, where an irritated Temari, an indifferent Gaara ("Where'd you go?" Temari asked, earning nothing but a blank stare.), and several angry teachers waited.

"Ow, Sakura; how did you know which was the real me?" he moaned, cradling his head. Sakura glanced at him. "You want to know?" she asked. Naruto nodded mournfully. "Gaara pointed you out and marked you with a bit of sand on that red spiral on the back of your shirt." she explained. Naruto's eyes watered, and he crawled on his hands and knees toward the stoic sand ninja.

"Gaara, my best buddy, my only friend! How could you do this to me?" He asked, eyes streaming crocodile tears. Gaara shook the hyperactive ninja off his foot.

"You deserved it; you were making scene." he said simply. Naruto slumped to the ground before hopping up as if nothing happened. He turned toward the student body, waving his arms.

"Yeah! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the ninja who's going to become Hokage, believe it! I'm gonna guard Hufflepuff!" He bellowed into the deafening silence. The Beauxbatons girls looked horrified, while the Hufflepuffs looked delighted and the Weasley twin's faces fell. Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the ninja took up watchful positions at the corner (that is, three of them did, Naruto drooled at the food, then complained they didn't have ramen). "With that, let the feast really begin," he said, and the desserts cleared away to make room for the main course once again. Fred and George looked at each other. "You mean, it wasn't real food before? Aw…"

Harry glanced at each shinobi. "Look at them… I don't see any wands. Are they muggles?" he asked. Hermione shrugged. "How they got in here was magic, but I don't think they are wizards… look at their clothes. They don't wear robes; how they do magic astounds me." she replied. Harry looked at them disdainfully. "Most of them look younger than us, except for that girl with the pigtails… what is Dumbledore thinking? If something happens, those kids will only get in the way. And that food fight earlier… are they really ninja?" Ron tucked into his food with the appetite of one half starved. "Who cares! Let's eat and worry about it later." he said.

All too soon, it seemed the feast was over, and the food vanished from the plates. Dumbledore clapped, getting everyone's attention.

"And now… it is time to ignite… the Goblet of Fire!" At his words, a plain wooden goblet on a pedestal burst into blue flames. Naruto yelled with awe and delight at the spectacle. "If you wish to participate in the Triwizard tournament, you simply must submit your name into the Goblet, and you must be seventeen years old, minimum. An age line will make sure of it." he smiled, hearing the groans of many students and the cheers of a few lucky ones who had just turned seventeen. "The prize is one thousand galleons for the lucky winner." Murmurs raced around the hall.

"Off to bed now, chop chop!" Dumbledore said, and the students rose as one and began to exit the hall, many looking enviously at the Goblet flaming away on its stone table.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione reached the Gryffindor portrait hole to find the red haired guard standing outside. They made to move past him, but the boy stopped them.

"Harry Potter?" he asked in a deep, rasping voice. Harry stepped forward.

"That's me."

"My name is Gaara, and I am the Gryffindor guard… in extension, yours. Please come to me if you have any problems… that is, if I am not with you." He droned, then grimaced, as if glad that the moment was over. Harry got the feeling that while Gaara was sincere, he was saying the words out of formality, and that he probably would have preferred not to speak at all. Harry nodded.

"Er; sure." he said, before moving past the boy to enter the Gryffindor Common Room. Inside, he flopped down in a squishy armchair and gazed into the fire. "Great. Perfect! I have my own personal bodyguard." he said bitterly. "And not to mention the weirdest of the lot." he added. Hermione looked at him, concerned.

"I'm sure Dumbledore just wants to keep you safe, that's all. Think about the World Cup." she said. Harry groused and looked away, watching Fred and George muttering in the corner. He could hear them whispering sadly about how, instead of getting the playful Naruto, they got the cold Gaara, who (in their opinion) should be guarding Slytherin. Harry secretly agreed, before getting up, bidding his friends good night, and going up to bed.

* * *

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the food fight. I decided that was about the most dramatic Naruto could get in the situation; Sakura's too reasonable to bust down doors, and Gaara's too cool to act out like that. Temari… is just Temari.

PLEASE REVIEW! (begs)


	4. Of Sleeplessness and Unforgivable Curses

**Wow, these chapters are coming out like crazy! I hope they are okay… Starting next week, updates will be next frequent as I come off of winter break and go into finals mode, so enjoy this update streak while it lasts… I will, however, not forget to write, so be patient, like I said on my profile, I will most likely update two to three times a month on a regular schedule.**

**Thanks to all the reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto**

* * *

Outside the Gryffindor Dormitory, Gaara listened as the castle slowly changed from a bustling school of magical children to a sleeping house, the only noises being the occasional teacher or unknown creature moving about.

Sleep; the one thing Gaara could not, would not, and most likely never do. He often wondered what it was like to fall into a blissful darkness (if that was truly what sleep was like, he didn't know), free of troubles, fears, and worries. How good it would be to be cradled by the sweet hand of innocence, if only for a few precious hours. All of this, he would never experience or know.

Gaara shook the wave of depression off. Somewhere in a dark recess of his mind, Shukaku was cackling with pleasure at the pain it caused its host. Ignoring the demon, he closed his eyes, concentrating a little bit of his awareness into each grain of the sand he carried in his gourd. He could almost feel that he _was_ the sand, writhing, wriggling, brushing against thousands of other identical personalities, seeing himself with a thousand eyes.

Sand streamed out of the gourd, drifting invisibly through the castle halls, settling in cracks, being rushed along in the wake of a streaming ghost. And all through this, Gaara was aware of what was happening around him through the sand, aware of the Goblet of Fire burning away far below, a beacon shining for any student sneaky enough to try and get their name in the Goblet at night and get past _him_. Gaara smirked; they could try! His night vision, enhanced by the demon that shared his body, was perfect; his siblings had once remarked that his eyes even glowed catlike in the dark. His sense of smell and hearing was also superb. And if for some reason, he didn't catch them, Mad-Eye Moody clunking along in the room below, guarding the Goblet itself, most certainly would.

This brought up another thought. Moody… there was something about him that made Gaara suspicious. Perhaps vestiges of his old life, so recently abandoned, caused him to feel paranoid, but he could almost feel faint waves of malice radiating from the ex-auror, something that screamed danger in the back of his mind. Wait, that was Shukaku. But if the demon thought the man was dangerous… Gaara stopped to watch a painting of two trolls in tutus and ballet shoes clubbing a wizard obviously trying to teach them to dance.

_I'll just have to keep a watchful eye on Moody, _he thought. His sand picked up a disturbance on the third floor. Concentrating, Gaara could just pick Naruto's chakra signature apart from a large concentration of weaker magical signatures. Naruto's was at a slight distance from the others; he must be alone. Sand swirled around him before he reappeared at the orange ninja's side.

"Naruto?" he asked quietly, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. Naruto jumped and yelped, almost tumbling over the handrail that lined the open corridor and down to the rest of the school below. Gaara's hand tightened on his shirt, hauling him back to safety.

"Jeez, Gaara, you scared me! Do you have to be like a ghost?" Naruto asked, clutching his heart. Gaara snorted.

"Is something wrong, Naruto? Why are you out here alone? You don't have to patrol, you should be sleeping." Gaara ignored Naruto's question. Naruto sighed and looked back over the edge of the rail.

"I'm okay, I guess. I couldn't sleep." he replied. Gaara shrugged. Naruto gave him a dirty look. "Of course it's never bothered you, you're… well, you!" he snapped. Gaara stared at Naruto, his gaze boring into the yellow haired ninja, obviously making him uncomfortable. Naruto squirmed. "Alright, alright! I'm homesick, okay?" Naruto confessed. "I'd never imagined Hogwarts to be so different from Konoha, or the entire Shinobi Continent, for that matter. At least it felt like home, even if I was in Suna or Kiri or somewhere else! There were people like me—" Gaara cut in.

"And Temari, Sakura, and I are not like you?" he asked, the ghost of a smile playing around his lips. Naruto waved his arms animatedly.

"Stop making me forget what I'm talking about! I meant _more_ people like me! Like us!" Naruto cried. A ghost passed by, glowing pearly silver in the darkness. It stopped near the boys, and put a finger to its translucent lips.

"I say, dear chap, there are living people trying to sleep! Be courteous." the ghost reprimanded them before sliding away and through a wall.

"Sorry," Naruto whispered. Gaara looked at him, feeling awkward in the face of the flood of emotions Naruto had let out. Naruto suddenly perked up. "Hey, I feel better now!" he exclaimed. Gaara shrugged.

"Talking helps, I guess."

Naruto grinned widely. "Thanks for listening, Gaara. Well, I'm going to bed now! Goodnight!" With a cheery wave, Naruto sauntered away down a flight of steps. Gaara sensed Naruto's chakra enter the basement, before suddenly cursing to himself. Distractions! In helping his friend, he'd momentarily forgotten about the mission. Gaara gathered the sand in several places, consolidating them to form floating third eyes. Confirming that the situation in the school had not changed in his lapse of vigilance, Gaara relaxed and dissolved the eyes again. Daylight was fast approaching, and it wouldn't be long before the students would gather in the Great Hall for breakfast and begin their day. On the other hand, Naruto would feel extremely sleep deprived.

* * *

Harry woke up the next day feeling quite well. Apparently, the guard, who he now knew to be Gaara, had spent the entire night patrolling the castle. Despite going without a wink of sleep, the guard looked as refreshed as if he had slept the whole night, standing in the corner of the Great Hall nearest to the Gryffindor table and contentedly eating an extremely square piece of toast. Harry then looked to the other ninja. Naruto was sitting with the Hufflepuffs devouring noodle soup like a muggle vacuum cleaner, earning repulsed looks from the blonde veela girl from Beauxbatons sitting about a foot away. Sakura was sampling some hash browns, and Temari, like Gaara, stood apart from the house she guarded, stabbing her eggs as if they weren't dead already. At one point, she walked away from her post and broke into an animated conversation with Sakura, who gave the other girl a pitying look.

Harry guessed they were talking about her night with the Slytherins, from the way Temari glared daggers at many of the Slytherin girls. Hermione shoved several pieces of toast into her mouth, before jumping up and rushing out of the great hall. Ron leaped up and tore after her.

"Oi, Hermione, where are you going?" he shouted, attracting the eyes of many other students. Harry got up and followed them.

"The library, of course," she hissed, safely out of earshot from the ninja (or so she thought; Temari could hear them quite clearly). "I want to know who these ninja are, what they do, and things like that!" she whispered. "Maybe I can find something about them in the library!" Harry shrugged, while Ron groaned.

"Hermione, there might be _millions_ of ninja! You'll never find them!" He cried. Hermione rounded on him.

"Quiet! Do you want _them_ to hear you?" she snapped. Harry held up his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner and stepped between the two.

"Well, Dumbledore didn't exactly _hide_ that they were ninja guards, and he told us all their names, which would also be classified, as they'd probably have codenames—"

"Like Raccoon." Ron broke in.

"Sure," Harry said noncommittally. "But my point is that you could probably ask them about this face to face."

Hermione turned as pink as Sakura's hair as she realized her blunder. "Well, yes, I guess I could, I mean… why not?" she stumbled over the words. "We'll ask each of them… maybe we'll get a better picture?" she added. The other two nodded, and they headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the Great Hall, the ninja shared jokes about her mistake.

Moody was waiting in the classroom with Gaara, who looked a little less than pleased to be there, a perpetual frown ironed onto his face. The trio made their way to the front of the classroom and took seats in the very first row. Harry glanced at Gaara, sure that the "muggle" was in for the shock of his life when he would see magic done. Moody began the lesson as soon as the bell rang by writing two words on the black board: CONSTANT VIGILANCE. A large jar containing three spiders sat on his desk, and Ron scooted his chair away from the jar very slightly, eyeing the spiders.

As the lesson continued, Moody demonstrated he could see through wood with his eye, as he caught a girl showing her horoscope to her friend sitting nearby, and went on to ask about unforgivable curses. Gaara shifted imperceptibly, his interest piqued. Ron raised his hand. "I think my dad told me one… the Imperius Curse?" Moody nodded approvingly, before reaching a hand into the jar to fish out a spider. Ron was rigid in his spot behind Harry. On the inside, Gaara was laughing; there were much worse things than spiders out there, and wouldn't he know it. On the outside, he readied himself to see something slightly entertaining. He was sorely disappointed. What happened next, any ninja worth his salt could do with a simple genjutsu.

Moody held the spider flat on his palm and said, "_Imperio!_" while jabbing at the creature with his wand. To the class's delight, the spider began to swing from a thread, then do back flips, round and round the desk, before breaking into a fast paced tap dance. The entire class laughed, until Moody growled, "You'd like it if I did that to you, would you?" The laughter trickled into silence.

In his mind, Gaara could hear Shukaku sigh forlornly. "_If only I could do something like that to you. Wouldn't that be fun?_" the monster shrieked, emphasizing _fun_. Gaara winced at the noise. "_You've _had_ that control for the last six years… haven't you had enough?_" he asked. The demon only answered with a sour chuckle, one that promised something unpleasant. He roused himself from his conversation as Moody moved on to the second curse, after shouting "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" and making the students jump.

Harry glanced at Gaara, who did not seem impressed, and even rather dissatisfied with the display. At one point, his face minutely distorted itself as if in pain; Harry wondered if it was from the performance's seemingly low quality (in the guard's opinion) or if it was something else. Moody turned to the class after replacing the spider in the jar.

"Any others?" To Harry's surprise, Neville's hand was tentatively raised. Moody pointed at him with a gnarled finger.

"Th-the Cruciatus Curse." Neville stuttered. Moody smiled a horrible smile. Gaara frowned even deeper, recognizing the smile. He himself had worn that smile for six years… and enjoyed it. It was the smile of a predator. Shukaku stirred, sensing his train of thought, and whispered words of blood and promise. Gaara shook the demon's lingering touch from his mind.

"Of course, you would know, wouldn't you, Longbottom?" Moody commented. He pulled a new spider from the jar, and pointed his wand at it, snarling, "_Crucio!"_ The spider jerked once, a horrible shuddering movement with all of its legs, before folding into itself and shaking. Harry was sure the spider would be shrieking, had it possessed a voice. It was obviously in pain, and it rolled about the desk in agony. The class was riveted with horror. Harry glanced around, just as Hermione screamed "_Stop it!_"

He looked at Neville. The boy's fingers were curled around the desk with white knuckles, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Moody removed his wand, and the spider relaxed, twitching. Neville's chin was shaking.

Harry looked at Gaara again, searching for a reaction. The ninja seemed to be inspecting his clothes for any dirt, and was again, unperturbed by the show of torturous magic. Moody walked forward and put the spider before Hermione, who suddenly went very still. "Well, Ms. Granger. You know which is next." he growled quietly. Hermione's words were the quietest whisper.

"_Avada Kedavra._"

Moody's face was terrible to see. Gaara knew it immediately; he was looking into the face of another killer. "_Just like you…_" Shukaku was singing in his mind. The spider was going to die…

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Moody roared. There was a green flash— death was rushing through the air, on invisible wings— the spider was there, breathing its last— the light vanished, and the spider rolled over, dead. Tears glistened in Hermione's eyes. The rest of the class was spent taking notes. Moody yelled "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" several more times, in which the class jumped every time, before the class was dismissed. Gaara walked out into the hall as if he hadn't just seen three of wizard kind's worst curses.

"_There wasn't enough blood. That stupid spider died a painless death. What's the fun in that?_" Shukaku asked. Gaara ran a hand through his red hair.

"_For you, none,"_ he replied silently. "_What bliss it would be to die a painless death… in the ninja world, there is no such thing._"

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to dinner, discussing the lesson. Ron babbled away. "He killed it, right there, just like that!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Seeing Harry's face, he quickly stopped. "Well— of course the others were interesting, too, reckon it would be horrible to have that Cruciatus curse put on you…" he trailed off as they saw Neville. The boy was obviously shaken, a distant, vacant look in his eyes. In the Great Hall, the ninja were gathered in their corner, talking about their day. Hermione wolfed down her dinner before speeding to the library. Ron shrugged.

"I wonder what's up with her?" he asked. Harry snorted as he loaded steak onto his plate.

"I wouldn't know. During the lesson, did you see that Gaara kid's face?" Ron nodded feverishly.

"I did! It was as if he was used to that sort of thing… it was a little scary!" He said. "Do you really think he's seen stuff like that before? I bet he's younger than us… Nah, he couldn't have."

Temari angrily kicked a loose stone on the floor. "The nerve of those Slytherins!" she snarled. "You'd think they owned the place, those little brats! And that blonde haired weasel! I should use my Wind Scythe Jutsu and blow him and his cronies all the way to hell…" she ranted on. Naruto patted her on the back.

"Sorry you got the worst house of the lot," he said. "On the other hand, those Hufflepuffs are pretty nice! That Cedric Diggory, or something like that, put his name in the Goblet today. I hope he gets it, he's really cool!" Naruto went on enthusiastically. Sakura sighed at Naruto's endless energy.

"Life with Ravenclaw is actually okay." she said. "They're really knowledgeable. This one girl, Luna Lovegood, I think she's called, is really sweet. A little weird though, like…" Sakura's eyes drifted to Gaara, who oblivious to her gaze, as he was staring at some kids at the Slytherin table who were sticking their tongues out at him. The other three ninja shared knowing looks with each other. Temari tapped him on the shoulder.

"Leave them, you can't kill them, as much as you'd like to." she said. "On the other hand, how was your day, brother?" she asked. Gaara looked back to the group.

"I watched a spider die. I watched it be tortured by invisible spells before it was killed…" he said solemnly. Naruto shivered.

"Spells that can kill instantly? Torture people without touching them? Weird!" he said.

"Also, Shukaku is acting up." Temari froze.

"Can you handle it?" she asked.

Gaara nodded with his eyes closed. "Yes," he replied, crossing his arms. "He doesn't like Moody, and all the mentions of death and torture set him off, I think. Watch Moody— he seems suspicious to me." Sakura agreed with the red-head.

"When the Ravenclaw house had class with him, he seemed to enjoy torturing and killing the spider." she paused, glancing at Gaara, who shrugged. "I don't think he can be trusted as much as the others think."

* * *

Six pages of text— not double spaced. Please hang in there for a few weeks. Like I said, finals are on the way and school comes first, no matter how much I like fanfiction.

Thanks, The Giant Daifuku.


	5. Discovery and Intrigue

**Ooh! A little blood and madness thrown into this one… I enjoyed writing this, but it may be a little… different. I don't know; please tell me what you think about it.**

**I don't own the storyline of Naruto and Harry Potter. Or anything else, for that matter.**

* * *

It was Gaara's turn to guard the Goblet of Fire from the children and others with their own interests. He'd known of the Weasleys, the two brothers who'd tried sneaking across and grown beards as when they touched the age line. He'd actually thought it quite hilarious, too, but no one needed to know that. At the Gryffindor entrance, a sand clone was standing guard, but it seemed to be dozing off— or at least not paying attention, as far as he could tell. He gave it a mental jab, and the clone jumped to attention again.

Because of the age line, he had a temporary spell cast on him that made him immune to the age line's effects. He rubbed his hairless chin thoughtfully. _Temari and Kankuro would have a field day if they saw me with a beard,_ he thought. The dull _clunk _of Moody's fake leg outside the door brought him back. Moody must be patrolling outside of the room. The sand shifted, agitated, until Moody moved away. What was with the killer instinct rolling off the man? It was directed, pointed, but not toward him. Who could Moody want dead so badly?

A low clink; something was rolling across the ground? Gaara hid himself in the shadows. Nothing happened for five minutes. Then ten. Fifteen.

"_I think you're getting __really__ paranoid now, kid._" Shukaku growled. Admonished, Gaara dropped back to the floor of the room below. It must have been something insignificant, something his ever-suspicious mind turned into a threat.

Gaara promptly threw up blood. His eyes went wide. _What?_

He collapsed to one knee, clutching his pained, thumping heart, blood flowing past his white lips and splashing onto the floor with wet plops. His mind whirled with confusion, and darkness ate away at the corner of his vision, as he realized that not only was he poisoned, but the poison had shut down his chakra system completely— he couldn't use chakra at all. His sand, limp in his gourd, confirmed that. He could barely sense chakra now, but he could feel Sakura and Temari together, near the Gryffindor portrait hole. There was an almost unnoticeable signature with them, one he had come to recognize as Harry Potter's.

Gaara forced himself to his feet. _If I can get to Sakura… or even Temari…_ he thought weakly, _I should be okay… Forget about the Goblet… Moody can take care…_

Step after step, after agonizing step. It felt as if fire was flowing slowly through his veins. Unconsciousness threatened to overwhelm him, but he shook it off with thoughts of what Shukaku would do if set free. Blood continued to drip freely down his sticky chin. Behind him, he could see a red trail stretching back to the Goblet's chamber. Moody was probably there now. Before him, he could see the steep stairs leading to the portrait hole. Sakura and Temari were at the top, standing next to a pile of sand (probably what used to be his clone), berating Harry and his two friends, Ron and Hermione.

He managed to get to the top of the stairs before his heart gave a painful thud. More blood dripped to the floor, and Hermione gasped when she saw him. Sakura and Temari whirled around too, Temari's mouth open in a silent scream of horror.

"Gaara!" she cried, hurrying to support him before he fell. "It's okay, Sakura's here, she can help— what happened?" she babbled, unnerved that someone could hurt her brother this badly.

Sakura quickly felt his pulse, then dipped her finger in a small spot of blood on the floor and smelt it.

"Poison." she said. "Let's go to the Hospital Wing before he bleeds more. You three, come with us." She pointed to Harry and his friends. Nodding mutely, they began the slow way to the Hospital Wing. "Do you know how this happened?" she asked Gaara.

"I heard something clink… the poison: it's odorless, tasteless, and there was no smoke." he gasped. Sakura placed a glowing hand on his chest, easing his breathing. "It must have been when I heard that noise."

Temari looked at Sakura. "Who could have made a poison a ninja couldn't detect? Wizards don't do this kind of thing, do they?" she asked, looking back at the three students following them. Hermione shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I don't believe even Voldemort can. Do you think he'll be okay?"

Sakura kept going, a grim look on her face. "I'm sure Gaara will be fine. But if wizards can't do this, only one other can, apart from Lady Tsunade. And I'm positive it wasn't her." She met Temari's eyes, just as the same thought occurred to the sand kunoichi.

"_Orochimaru_." she said.

Gaara's eyes slid shut as he lost the battle for consciousness at last. Temari swore.

"Gaara? Gaara! Open your eyes! Wake up!" she shouted, shaking his shoulders. When he didn't respond, she backed away. "Get behind me, you three." she said. Sakura remained with her patient, but looked very concerned. The wizards obliged, and Temari slid her fan out. It would be hard fighting in the narrow corridor protecting three kids, but she could do it. Sakura froze when Gaara's voice, eerily more high-pitched than usual, said, "He's not in." and laughed maniacally. Sakura flashed away in terror. Gaara remained standing, and raised cold black and yellow eyes to look at her.

"You're the one I didn't get to kill!" he cried, "But not this time!" He raised a hand, in a gesture the ninja knew very well. Temari let loose a blast of wind, which didn't even mark the sand armor. However, she noticed that the shield did not rise to protect him, despite his danger.

Gaara turned toward her, distracted from his initial prey.

"Oh? Why are you in the way, _big sister_? I thought you _loved me_." The demon's taunting words tore into her, piercing the older girl in the heart. Temari looked at him with rage.

"When I said that, I meant my brother, not you, Shukaku." she had to keep her voice from shaking. The possessed ninja began to move toward her, and Sakura relaxed a little as he got farther away, though she watched for any sand about to attack her. None came, and the cork remained firmly on the gourd.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were riveted with terror. They'd thought Gaara was okay, but it had hidden the monster they were seeing before them now. The calm strength and serenity he constantly radiated and the security it had brought with it had completely deserted him and had been replaced by madness.

"We're going to die." Ron said faintly, white as a sheet. "We're going to die."

"Snap out of it, kid!" Temari snapped, not looking away from her advancing brother. "We're going to fight, if we can."

Gaara, or rather Shukaku, grinned lazily. "Fight me? You can't even _touch_ me with your silly attacks!" He raised his hand, about to turn his deadly technique on her and the three children she protected. His eyes widened when nothing happened.

"This blasted poison is messing with my chakra system! I can't use my chakra!" the demon snarled, surprised. Harry saw his chance.

"_Stupefy!_" he shouted, the spell sinking its red jet squarely into Gaara's chest. The sand covering him was blasted away in a neat circle; and it appeared as if a hole had been put through his chest, forcing Gaara back a few steps. But, the spell failed to stun him. However, some of the magic seemed to take effect, and Gaara fell to his knees, anger blazing in his eyes.

"What did you do to me, brat?" he shouted, before Sakura's healing wore off and blood dripped freely from his mouth again. His hand flew to his mouth, but it seeped through his fingers. Despite the danger, Sakura was at his side, her glowing hands on his chest, trying to help him breath. "You…" Shukaku muttered.

"If Gaara's body dies from this poison, so will you." she said firmly. The demon's black and gold eyes narrowed.

"I would not regret it if the kid died." Shukaku snarled.

"I understand." Sakura replied. "But you wouldn't want to die yourself."

Shukaku looked away. "I hate you humans. You always let your emotions control your actions. If I were you in this situation, I would have let my enemy die from the poison, or killed him myself, even. You're all so foolish. You are saving our life," he said, referring to himself and his host, "But I wouldn't do the same for you, and he wouldn't have done it _back then_."

Temari smiled gently and helped her brother to his feet, even though it was the demon that looked out of his eyes. "I know." she said. "But Gaara would now, and that's what matters."

"Stupid humans." Shukaku muttered again, but left it at that and allowed them to take him to the Hospital Wing, where Sakura spent the rest of the night drawing out the poison and Temari continued interrogating the trio of wizards they'd found sneaking out of the portrait hole.

* * *

Gaara opened his green eyes as the sun shown its first warm rays onto his face. Blinking the haze of sleep away, he caught sight of Sakura sleeping in a chair near the foot of the bed, Temari smiling down at him, and the three wizard children he'd seen last night clustered together on a bed.

"T-Temari? What happened? Why am I here?" he asked. His older sister sighed.

"No wonder you don't remember." she replied. "_He_ got out." Gaara's breath caught in his chest.

"Did… _he_… hurt anyone?" he asked, doing his best to keep the dread out of his voice. Temari smiled.

"No. Only a few people know about what happened. It's just us, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. We managed to keep that nurse lady from finding out, nosy woman. Those three spent the night here because we decided not to get Naruto to send them back, and Sakura spent the whole night curing you. Naruto would have just worried about you and gotten in the way."

Gaara smirked and turned to the three wizards on the bed, his face serious. "I'm sorry if I scared you." he began, and no remnant of Shukaku's possession could be heard in his voice. Harry relaxed. "Please understand; it was the demon inside of me that tried to… hurt… you." he quickly replaced the word kill. "But, I realize he is a danger. If Temari and Sakura hadn't been there…" he let them finish the sentence. "I was hired with them and Naruto in order to protect Hogwarts and Harry Potter… but now I see I must protect them even from myself. I will get a suitable replacement. It is unforgivable of me, what happened." he said quietly. Harry shook his head.

"It is alright." He said in reply to the sand shinobi's surprised look. "I know you've got that… demon inside, but it doesn't make a difference— I mean, well, it does— but I— you- you don't have to leave! You've got a job to do, and you're my guard, and I don't think anyone else could do a better job." he finished lamely. "I guess I'm saying, after all we've been through, even though we haven't known each other long, I don't want you to go— any of you." He said pointedly to Temari and Sakura, just as Naruto burst into the infirmary.

"GAARA!" the orange ninja roared, grabbing his friend's shoulders. "ARE YOU OKAY?" he shouted, shaking the other ninja fiercely.

"Yeah… let go. Now." If he could, Gaara would have used his sand to push Naruto away, but he was still weak from the recent episode, and settled for letting Temari peel the hyperactive shinobi off of him and Sakura give Naruto a few large bumps on his head. Hermione sighed.

"You guys all act like a family." she said. Naruto looked at her as if she were mad.

"WHAT?" he cried, and jabbed a finger at Temari. "Do I look like part of _her _family? Or even his?" he pointed at Gaara. "No way!"

"I meant that you act like siblings, standing up for each other and all that. And Temari and Gaara just seem really close." Hermione said exasperatedly. "Are all ninja like you guys?"

"No." Naruto shuddered. "There are some really scary ones out there… those that enjoy killing, torture, pain and mutilation…" Naruto glanced at Gaara, who shrugged and gave a look that clearly said _I don't deny it_. Ron gulped and edged toward Hermione, who pushed him back. "Then there's them that believe in serving their country to the fullest, like me… and the Fourth Hokage, my hero. Finally, some of them are just crazy like Granny Tsunade, and those that are ultra-lazy like Shikamaru, and the weird people, like Lee and Kankuro— OW, Sakura! Temari, what was that for?" He rubbed the steaming bruises on his head.

"You were getting carried away. Settle down, Naruto!" Sakura said. Temari turned toward the trio.

"Gaara and I are close because we're siblings. Kankuro, which was one of the 'weird guys' Naruto mentioned, is our other sibling. Well… weird isn't that far off the mark." Temari contemplated, and Ron laughed.

"You guys are just normal kids!" Hermione said. "Sorry about my suspicions, but I was expecting something deeper… and darker, about ninjas."

Sakura cut in. "Well, you heard what Naruto said. We're the better face of the ninja populace. There is a much darker and uglier side to it. There are ninja who love torture and interrogation. And there are those who seek power, and will do anything for it…" she trailed off, obviously thinking of Sasuke. Temari cut in before she could say anything else.

"On that note, we have something important to discuss, and it includes you three," she said, pointing to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "And the headmaster."

As if on cue, Dumbledore walked in, smiling pleasantly, as usual. She went on.

"Last night, Gaara was poisoned by an odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas while he was guarding the Goblet of Fire. Wizards are not capable of doing this, so we came to one conclusion: this could only have been made by an extremely skilled ninja; his name is _Orochimaru_."

* * *

Thanks for reading! I really like reviews, and it's a little funny, because for all the favs and alerts I have, as well as hits, I only have 25 reviews. Please review because it lets me know what you think of my writing so that I can write better in the future and keep giving you good chapters to read :D.

Thanks, The Giant Daifuku


	6. More Worries for Harry Potter

**I'm so happy all of you are giving me such nice reviews… thanks so much! No long speeches today! Without further notice…**

**I don't own **_**Naruto**_** or **_**Harry Potter**_**.**

* * *

"His name is Orochimaru." The name hung in the silent room, dark and forbidding. Harry's breath caught.

"Orochimaru… what kind of guy is he?" he asked, dreading the answer. Sakura's eyes were hard.

"He is a ninja who seeks power in any form: political or physical power," she said. Then she turned to the other ninja. "Knowing what we know about Orochimaru, I think that we can assume that he has allied himself with Voldemort." she ignored it when Ron flinched, and Naruto looked at him oddly.

"It's just a name, Ron, it can't hurt you, see? Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort, Volde— GAH!" he clutched his head when Temari casually slapped the back of it hard enough to plant his face into Gaara's bed. Gaara moved his foot out of the way in time.

"You're disturbing him. Let's keep talking about Orochimaru," Temari said. Dumbledore had a deep frown on his face, and the frown caused Harry to be disturbed and slightly fearful.

"Can you give us possible motives for Orochimaru wanting to join with Voldemort?" He asked. Sakura turned to the other three ninja, searching for answers with them.

"Orochimaru, having found out about the wizarding world, will see it as another land to bend to his will, and will probably include it in his plan to dominate the Ninja Continent. Voldemort probably thinks he's getting an ally— it won't last long, as soon as the wizarding world falls, Orochimaru will most likely kill Voldemort and be the sole leader of Voldemort's army, and then use it to conquer the Shinobi Nations. That's the top motive I can think of… or perhaps…" she paused.

Naruto seemed to get the idea. "He can't be thinking of _possessing_ Voldemort, can he?" Sakura nodded unhappily. "He very well may be."

"Possessing _You Know Who_? How stupid! You Know Who will kill him before that ever happens." Ron guffawed.

"You clearly have no clue what a ninja is capable of," Gaara said quietly. "We may be younger than you, but we are strong: we have all been through war, we have all killed at least one man each, and… some of us have enjoyed it. Orochimaru has been through many wars, and killed _many_ men, many of them the strongest of the ninja clans they belonged to. No, if Voldemort went up against Orochimaru, he is doomed, and his body will be used for Orochimaru to gain wizarding powers while retaining all his former ninja skills. And we will be doomed, too."

Temari stared at her brother. "That's the most I've heard you say in a long time." she said, and Gaara looked away, almost shyly. "But he's right. If this is the case, we can't let you die, Harry."

Dumbledore sat back, lacing his fingers under his chin. "I must think about what we will do next… in the mean time, how much have you recovered, Gaara?" he asked. Gaara held his up his hand, palm up, and a small ribbon of sand rose up and swirled above his palm. More sand joined it, and it soon was twisting itself into miniature writhing shapes. A few were recognizable; a swooping eagle, a stalking cat, and finally, a tiny sand clone of Gaara himself. Gaara stared at the figure in his hand, face unreadable, before closing his hand in a tight fist. The figure of himself imploded and collapsed, skittering over his clenched fingers.

"Enough." he replied.

* * *

"Good. If you are up to it, please continue guarding Harry. Be very careful, now that we have a new, more dangerous enemy to watch for. And tonight… is a very special one; the Goblet of Fire will announce the three champions to participate in the Triwizard Tournament."

The hall was blazing with conversation, and the four ninja stood guard in the corners of the room. Moody clunked his way over to Gaara, who automatically stiffened.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"Yes." Gaara replied cautiously.

"I saw the blood on the ground; it looked pretty bad, and I saw the trail going up to the Hospital Wing. You sure that you're all better?" he asked again.

"Yes."

Dumbledore stood up as the Goblet flashed red. The chatter instantly ceased. Ron elbowed Harry. "Any bets on who the Hogwarts Champion will be?" he asked.

"Dunno… hope Angelina gets it. But it'll obviously be Krum for Durmstrang, of course." Harry said. Ron nodded sagely. "I agree, mate. And I hope that veela girl gets it, too." He said dreamily. Hermione poked him viciously. "Ow, stop it, Hermione, you're just jealous!" he whispered.

A great tongue of flame shot from the mouth of the Goblet, containing a small slip of paper. Dumbledore snatched it out of the air, and paused to read it.

"For Durmstrang, the Champion is… _Viktor Krum_." he said, and the Durmstrang boys erupted into cheers. "Through this door here, Viktor, if you please," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a door behind him.

The Goblet flared again, and Dumbledore read the next paper. "For Hogwarts, _Cedric Diggory_!"

The Hufflepuffs screamed their approval, and Fred and George, clean shaven, leaped up, shouting "_No!" _at the same time.

"In Beauxbatons, _Fleur Delacour_!"

"That's her name?" Ron muttered. "Hm… Hermione, know what Fleur means in English?" he asked. Hermione shot him a glare.

"And that concludes the ceremony! Congratulations to our three —" Dumbledore was stopped by the Goblet turning red one more time. A tongue of flame lashed the air, and Dumbledore caught the falling paper.

"_Harry Potter._" He said. Harry froze. The Hall was silent. "Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted again. Harry stood up and began to walk. He was painfully aware of every eye trained on him, hate filled and envious.

Against the wall, Gaara felt the emotions in the hall swing and dip, then— _there_. A brief glimpse: a glimmer of joy like a shining jewel in the sea of darkness. _Who is it?_ He thought, searching the crowd. He glanced at Temari, Sakura, and Naruto. They were looking around, too, obviously having picked up the same thing. He watched Harry go down the aisle toward the door, and moved to follow him silently.

They reached the door, and Dumbledore pointed at it. "In please, Mr. Potter." he said tersely. Harry glumly pushed the door open and entered, shadowed by Gaara.

Once inside, Gaara quickly pulled him into a little alcove. "Harry," he began. Immediately, the boy tensed up.

"I didn't do it." he said. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet, Gaara. You have to believe me."

In the onslaught of emotion streaming from Harry, Gaara stood awkwardly before gathering his thoughts.

"You have to believe me, I didn't want it." Harry repeated, and Gaara remembered what he wanted to say. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I know you didn't." Gaara said, clearly and quietly. Harry blinked in shock.

"You do?" he asked. Gaara nodded.

"Yes. In the hall, I felt your emotions… you were surprised. But there is something more important. When your name came out of the Goblet, I felt something; _someone was very happy your name came out_. You got that? _Someone in the castle wants you dead._ I don't know who, but be watchful." Gaara said urgently. They entered the room together.

Fleur was complaining. "You mean that little boy is to compete?" she cried, pointing at Harry. Dumbledore stormed in.

"With the help of his guard, as well." he said, before staring Harry in the eyes. "Now Harry, be truthful. Did you or did you not put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No." He said. Dumbledore looked at him searchingly. "Did you get another student or a guard to put your name in for you?" he asked.

"No," Harry replied. "But Gaara said someone—"

"_Lies!_" Karkaroff snarled. Madam Maxime turned on Dumbledore.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked. "Does Hogwarts get two bites at the apple? I am pulling my girl out." she said, clamping a hand on Fleur's slim shoulder.

"And I, mine." Karkaroff added. "I trusted you, Dumbledore. I will not take this lightly." He was about to leave when Crouch, the head judge of the Triwizard Tournament entered the room.

"They must compete." he said hoarsely. "Even Potter. You cannot pull them out now. They must compete."

* * *

Sorry, rather short… I'm having a little bit of problems cranking ideas because I'm thinking of another Fanfict to write, too. It will probably be another crossover… And I have writer's block! GAH!

Well, it will be longer next time or if I fix this… this is really short… wow.


	7. Harry Gets Mad

**I started writing this chapter before finals, about two weeks ago, but I haven't updated because I was so busy studying. Thanks to Sayori Hanahari for being the first anonymous reviewer. I'd really like to hear from all the other anonymous people out there, so please, don't be afraid to review. And on to the story! Results from my poll will be announced in the next chapter.**

**I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. **

* * *

"But—" Karkaroff blustered.

"_They must compete._" Crouch repeated. "Those who submitted their name and were selected immediately entered into a magical binding contract with the Goblet and the Tournament. They all must compete, even Potter."

Karkaroff looked angry, and Madame Maxime's face resembled a dark thundercloud.

"That solves the problem, it seems," Dumbledore said quietly. "Now, Harry, you were saying Gaara said something?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry replied. "Gaara said that when my name came out of the Goblet someone was extremely happy it happened." he shrugged toward the ninja standing quietly behind him. Karkaroff snorted.

"It was probably you that was happy." he said scathingly. Harry continued, looking at Dumbledore.

"He thinks that someone _inside_ the school wants me dead. Voldemort couldn't be here, could he?" he asked. Everyone jumped.

Dumbledore shook his head. "The wards are strong. Voldemort would not have slipped through unnoticed."

Moody walked in, his leg thumping awkwardly on the carpet. "It could have been last night," Moody said, "Between when Gaara and I switched watch on the Goblet."

Inside Gaara, Shukaku stirred, the incident piquing his interest. "_Or it could have been Moody._" Shukaku whispered. "_We could kill him together… you and I… make him suffer for his crime. They wouldn't mind, he's a criminal. Come on, come on, COME ON!"_

_"No." _Gaara answered simply. "_We are not going to attract anymore attention._" he watched as Moody swigged from his hip flask. "_But you may be right. What if it is him?_"

Shukaku shrugged.

"_It doesn't hurt to be cautious._" the tanuki replied, before fading.

"_Since when are you so helpful?_" Gaara asked his empty mind. His attention snapped back to the conversation at hand.

"Naruto, Temari, Gaara, and Sakura will continue to guard the school and help moderate the Triwizard Tournament. The champions will all be protected should the need arise." Dumbledore was saying. The other ninja came in quietly to listen. "The rest of you may leave; Can you stay?" he asked the shinobi, who accepted. Harry edged out of the door to meet with Hermione. Ron had mysteriously vanished.

"The first task, to be held in a month, will involve the Champions fighting dragons." Dumbledore confided in them. "There will be a Swedish Shortsnout, a Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball, and a Hungarian Horntail." Seeing the ninja's disbelieving looks, he showed them pictures out of a book.

"What is with us and snakes?" Naruto cried, seeing the long, scaly creatures flying, crawling, roaring, and breathing fire on the page. "And do we have to _fight_ those?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Oh, no, my dear boy;" Dumbledore said quickly. "You only have to make sure that our _Champions_ don't get hurt fighting those." Temari bared her teeth in a feral grin.

"This'll be fun." she said, then at her teammates' faces, added, "Of course I wouldn't injure a contestant to fight one of those… that would be Kankuro's job!" Gaara smirked, then frowned again.

"We are trying to keep Harry safe, but we send him to fight a dragon? His chance of dying has increased one-hundred fold." He said angrily.

"That is why we need you to guard him and make sure he doesn't die. I don't doubt Hagrid— that's the ground's keeper, so you know— will try to show Harry the dragons, so Harry will be prepared." Dumbledore replied. Gaara's eyes narrowed and he looked away.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sakura said. "Let's start preparing, I guess."

* * *

Harry's mouth was stretched in horror at the spectacle before him. Dragons: live, fire breathing, wing flapping, scaly dragons were all being (or trying to be) contained in a small clearing. Even under the invisibility cloak, Harry inched behind Hagrid and Madam Maxime. The black Hungarian Horntail glared at him menacingly before spouting fire. Harry couldn't help but think that he'd seen the same feral, menacing look on Gaara's face only a few nights before. Sakura had said later that if Gaara hadn't been poisoned and so internally damaged, and had control of his chakra, they would all be dead, unless they could call for Naruto on time.

He snuck back up to the castle, but stopped just shy of the front doors. Naruto and Gaara were standing in the grass before the entrance, Gaara with his arms folded neatly across his chest and Naruto in a crouch. Naruto was panting, cut, and bleeding, and kunai and shuriken scattered around him.

"Curse you and your sand shield!" Naruto cried, flinging more projectiles at Gaara. A wall of sand stopped them and absorbed them, before casually flicking them back at Naruto with great speed and accuracy. Naruto jumped, spinning in the air to avoid most of them, but a kunai nicked his face, opening another cut in his cheek. Gaara smirked. Naruto stood up. "You're supposed to be the 'dragon', Gaara, not yourself! If your sand shield was the dragon's hide, my kunai and shuriken _wouldn't _come flying back!"

"So you want me to become more like a dragon? Fine by me." Gaara said softly, before whipping his hands through seals so fast it was a blur to Harry's eyes. But Naruto saw them, and cursed, before Gaara expelled a jet of fire from his mouth. Naruto quickly used a substitution jutsu, and a log was reduced to ashes. "Is it close enough for you?" Gaara asked, the last few flames vanishing around his mouth.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto yelled, leaping through the dissipating smoke with a rasengan spinning in his palm. Gaara's eyes widened in shock.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted, thrusting the ball at the sand ninja. Gaara's face became the complete picture of boredom.

"Is that the only move you know how to do? Pity, I expected better of you." Gaara said, before twisting his body to avoid the chakra sphere. At the same time, a vaguely tail-shaped wave of sand struck Naruto in the gut, and he tumbled backward, as luck would have it, straight onto Harry.

"Ugh?" Naruto grunted, more from surprise then pain, as they rolled down the slight hill together. He felt about before his fingers brushed the fabric of the Invisibility Cloak, then he gave a light tug. It slid off, revealing Harry's slightly bruised body. "Sorry about that!" Naruto said quickly. Gaara came as well, his sand returning back into his gourd. "What were you doing out here, anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Just—just getting some air…" Harry said. Naruto poked him.

"Hey, we're your guards! Don't lie to us!" he cried indignantly. Harry flinched.

"I went to go see dragons..." He mumbled.

"Speak up." Gaara said.

"I went to see the dragons for the first task with Hagrid!" Harry exploded. "Are you going to take me to Dumbledore for punishment now?" he asked angrily.

"That was harsh!" Naruto looked injured (more than he already was). "If you haven't noticed, we were trying to prepare for the task, too. If something goes wrong, we're going to have to step in and take care of things!"

Harry's anger ebbed. "Was Gaara impersonating the dragon?" he asked.

"Of course." Gaara replied. "Now let's go back to the castle. I think you both need to see Sakura." Harry nodded quickly. Naruto on the other hand, pulled a sad face.

"Just one more time? Please? I'll have gotten the hang of it by then!"

"I don't intend on having my innards rearranged with that Rasengan of yours, if you actually hit me. Let's call it a day." Gaara said. Naruto stopped, mouth open.

"Did the mighty Gaara of the Desert actually crack a _joke_?" Naruto gasped. Annoyed, Gaara wrapped Naruto in sand, making sure to cover the ninja's mouth, and lugged him all the way back to the castle.

* * *

Harry sat in front of the fireplace, staring at Sirius Black's head in the fire.

"It was incredible." He began. "The guard I told you about— Gaara is his name— he could breathe _fire!_ And then Naruto— he's the Hufflepuff guard— he leapt at Gaara with this... this _thing_ that Gaara later said could have 'rearranged his innards'. They're amazing! Who knows what the two girls can do! I've already seen Sakura, the Ravenclaw guard, punch Naruto through a wall, and Temari carries a huge fan that blows wind!"

Sirius laughed, cutting Harry off. "It's good to see you so excited, Harry, but don't forget, the Triwizard Tournament has been held in over a century for a good reason. If someone wants to kill you, this is the opportune moment to do it. A dragon killing you accidently would do very nicely." He said seriously.

"Yeah… that's what Gaara says, and Dumbledore seems to agree." Harry confirmed.

Sirius smiled again. "You speak highly of these ninja people. I'm glad you've made some new friends— what was that? I just heard a noise… it must be on your end." His head twisted in the fireplace, looking around. "I'll be coming up there soon. I'll contact you, don't worry."

"You shouldn't!" Harry said, but then heard the noise Sirius must have. "It is on my end. Hurry, go!" Sirius's head vanished from the fire with a small pop. Harry whirled in time to see Ron coming down the stairs.

"Who were you talking to?" Ron asked.

"What's that got to do with you?" Harry snarled. Ron looked taken aback.

"I just wondered where you— it's fine. I'll just go back to bed." He began to go back up the steps.

Harry felt rage boil in the pit of his stomach. Before he knew it, the words were out of his mouth. "Thought you'd come nosing around, huh?" He spat. Ron's face colored.

"Sorry! I should've realized you were practicing for your next interview and didn't want to be disturbed!" He shouted. In a fit of rage, Harry grabbed one of the _POTTER REALLY STINKS_ badges off the table where Colin and his brother had been working and threw it at Ron. It hit him square on the forehead. Ron hissed and rubbed it.

"There you go." Harry panted, his ire almost keeping him from speaking properly. "You might even have a scar now. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Ron's eyes blazed with fury. He took a step forward, but was stopped when a cold voice said, "_What's going on, here?_" Both of them froze.

Gaara stepped out of the shadows, looking the two boys up and down.

"It's none of your business!" Harry snarled. Gaara blinked, then tilted his head, his mouth twitching into a creepy smile.

"Oh?" Something about his was off. The way he moved was slightly sluggish, or perhaps it was the way his skin seemed to be shifting. Harry watched as the red tattoo on his forehead drifted slightly to the left, a slight red smear left in its wake.

Ron seemed to notice this too. "Nothing's happening. Just go back to doing… whatever it is." Gaara's eyes seemed a little too dead as they bored into the two boys.

"Stand down. Both of you. You need to be united in the face of the new evil that dwells in the school. There is no time for silly quarrels." Harry realized that Gaara was reprimanding him. He felt his wrath descending again, and took a step toward the ninja.

"This is between Ron and myself." Harry whispered as menacingly as he could.

"Do you think you scare me, Potter?" Gaara started, before stopping as if listening to something only he could hear. "You're in luck, Harry. You were about to make me irritated." He said with a smirk. The next thing Harry and Ron knew, Gaara seemed to slump forward, sinking to the ground. His skin and clothes turned pale brown, slipping away in thin trickles to fall on the rich rug covering the floor. The form before them, barely human shaped with no definitive features, teetered for a moment, unsteady on the two pillars that had supported it as legs, before collapsing forward and exploding into a shower of sand on contact with the floor. The sand slowly rose up and drifted away out to the portrait hole. Both Harry and Ron stared at the place Gaara had been.

"Blimey." Ron croaked. Harry didn't answer, storming out of the Common Room and throwing himself into bed. He listened for the sound of Ron coming up to bed as well, a sound that never came. He let himself fall asleep.

* * *

Yahoo! Finals are over! I will once again start updating on a normal schedule. Thank you everybody for being so patient!


	8. The Dragons and the Eggs

**Well, here's number nine! Almost to ten! The 50****th**** reviewer will get to choose the topic of a single chapter story. If I like your idea, I might run with it. I will PM that person for details when I find out who it is. I will accept any Naruto related pre-shippuden content, as long as it is not yaoi.**_** Just this once, I will be accepting romance requests.**_** Just something to think about, and to give incentive for reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. **

**TGD**

* * *

Harry was a happy camper— or as happy as you can get when your best friend has just decided he hated your guts and refused to even look at you. On the other hand, none of the ninja, not even the wisp of a clone, were trailing him; they were most likely preparing to fight dragons if they had to, and he was spending increasingly long times in an abandoned classroom with Hermione, practicing the Summoning Charm. He pointed his wand at Neville's toad angrily, and shouted "_Accio Trevor!_"

Trevor gave a surprised croak before tumbling backward off the stack of books he was perched on. Harry cursed angrily, and a shower of red sparks shot from his wand. "Relax, Harry! You can't do the spell if you're not relaxed." Hermione snapped. "Watch! _Accio Trevor!_" Trevor was neatly whisked through the air into Hermione's palm. Harry took several deep breaths.

"Good." Hermione said, putting Trevor down and picking up a heavy dictionary. Harry pointed his wand at it, and chanted the spell again. The book trembled and lifted at the edges, before flying out of Hermione's hands. Harry quickly lifted his own and caught the book.

"Well done, Harry!" Hermione cried, clapping. "Try it again, you've got it!" Harry repeated the spell with the same results. Hermione seemed overjoyed. "I think you're ready for tomorrow!" she said, and was about to say something else when loud voices in the outside corridor interrupted her. They pressed their ears to the door. On the other side, they could hear Gaara, Naruto, Temari, and Sakura arguing in loud, angry voices.

"_Why_ did you summon _Gamabunta_, Naruto? You know how big he is! He's gone and flattened a section of the forest!" Sakura was shouting shrilly.

"I'm sorry! I just thought it would be a good idea to see how he held up against a dragon!" Naruto wailed. "I think it would work very well, judging from what happened!"

"_Dragon?_" Gaara's voice was disbelieving. "Do I look like a dragon to you? Not to mention Gamabunta recognized me, and after the last time we met… do you know how my arms feel from trying to hold the sand shield up?" Gaara snarled.

"I've got chakra depletion from all the illusionary jutsus we're doing to hide the fact we've destroyed at least a quarter mile of forest!" Temari raged. The group had just stopped outside the door and the argument continued heatedly.

"I don't feel anything!" Naruto said.

"That's because you and Gaara are _very_ special, Naruto, and Sakura and I have done most of the work, because genjutsu is _not_ your strong suit!" Temari flung back. "Come on, let's get to Dumbledore's office, and he can fix everything as if it never happened. We'll talk about this later." The ninja moved down the hall, while Naruto discussed Gamabunta and his roll in the Chūnin exams with Sakura. Sighing with relief that they weren't caught, Harry and Hermione moved back to the center of the room to continue practicing the charm. Just as they began, the door was wrenched open, revealing a slightly irritated Gaara.

"I thought I heard footsteps in here, and look what I found." Gaara said, scowling. His normal red-brown shirt had been removed at the top, and underneath, he wore a simple black sleeveless shirt. The sand ninja's lean, wiry arms were red and seemed slightly swollen, and he moved them as if in pain. "Come on, I've not got enough energy to tell you off tonight." Gaara said, shooing them out of the room. He spared a glance at the assortment of objects littered about.

"We were practicing for tomorrow's event." Harry explained.

"He's just mastered the summoning charm." Hermione quipped. Gaara nodded in understanding. "What happened to your arms?" Hermione asked, indicating their redness.

"Naruto pulled out his stupid summon against me." Gaara replied.

"And?" Harry asked, gesturing for him to continue.

"The last time we met, we didn't… get along." Harry and Hermione took it to mean that Gaara and the summon had fought viciously. "Naturally… he wasn't pleased to see me again. I had to maintain my sand shield against him." Gaara finished.

"You must be tired; you should sleep. You'll feel better— and you, Harry, you should, too." Hermione said.

"Yeah. Now we know what to do to get me to learn something in a hurry— threaten me with a dragon at two o'clock in the morning." Harry said snidely.

* * *

By morning, the swelling in Gaara's arms had gone down, thanks to the balm Naruto had received from Hinata before he left. Temari and Sakura had returned to the patch of forest with Dumbledore and cleaned up the destroyed area, and Naruto was helping transport the dragons to the Quidditch pitch with Gaara and the dragon keepers. Harry stared at the model Horntail stretching and glaring in his palm. "So I have to get an _egg_ from _this_?" He asked Hermione. Hermione nodded.

"It will be really hard, Harry! We all know how protective dragons are of their eggs." She said breathlessly. "But I'm sure you'll do fine; just remember the charm, right?" she added, seeing Harry roll his eyes.

"'_It will be really easy, Harry,' _Yeah right! But thanks… for all your help." Harry said.

At the Quidditch field, the four ninja were already there, standing on top of the walls with ever watchful eyes. Temari fingered her fan tensely.

"Remember, if something goes wrong, you're supposed to _protect_ Krum, not let him get hurt so that you can try to fight the dragon yourself, Temari. You too, Naruto. _Protect_ Diggory, don't hurt him." Sakura reminded the fidgety shinobi tensely.

"Yes, ma'am." Naruto frowned. "I hope everything goes okay. Those dragons look really dangerous. When we were taking them here, I swear I thought the forest was going to burn down." He continued. "I agree with Moody. If someone wants Harry dead, having him 'accidentally' die in the tournament would be a great way to do it." Gaara shrugged, but agreed. Dumbledore said that since Harry was less experienced with magic than the other champions, Gaara had to be in the tournament with him and keep him from harm. Not that the ninja minded, but he felt that it was cheating, and decided to opt out of 'helping' Harry and would only 'keep him from harm' instead.

The first task began. Diggory stumbled onto the field, eyes wide. "Come on, move! Move!" Naruto cheered encouragement and advice from the sidelines. He was impressed by Cedric's skill: the boy turned a rock into a Labrador. "I wouldn't have thought to do that…" Naruto muttered. Sakura punched his shoulder playfully.

"You would've tried Rasengan, huh?" Sakura asked. Temari poked both of them.

"I don't think it worked, guys." she said quietly.

"What?" Naruto looked just in time to see the dragon rush at Cedric, mouth gaping.

"Crap!" Naruto shouted, moving to intercept the dragon's deadly teeth. His fingers desperately flew through seals. "Just like in practice, huh, Gaara!" Naruto yelled. _Practice…_ Gaara thought. Then it hit him. The dragon crunched down on Naruto, who splintered into a log. _If I were the dragon…_

"_Naruto!_ Watch for the tail strike!" Gaara shouted. Too late; the dragon whipped its spiked tail, and though Naruto managed to dodge, one of the cruel spikes dug into his shoulder. Blood flew everywhere as he collapsed, clutching the wound. Cedric rushed to his side.

"Keep going! It's focusing on me!" Naruto pushed him toward the golden egg and stumbled upright. "Come on, you big lizard!" Naruto snarled, pulling out a kunai. "I'll give you all I've got!" The dragon was coming now, its maw filled with killing fire. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Cedric scrambling away from the makeshift nest, egg safely under his arm.

"_Wind Scythe!_" The fire was blown away with a blast of cutting wind. Temari landed behind Naruto, fan in hand. "Looks like I saved your butt, kid." She smirked. Naruto smiled. "Funny… I was about to finish it… myself…" he said woozily, before falling to the ground. Temari caught him.

"Hey!" She cried. "Naruto! Sakura, quickly!" she struggled to her feet with Naruto on her back. In a flash, she was on the wall next to Sakura, who immediately applied her chakra to Naruto's wounds.

"He'll be fine, it's just blood loss; the wound is pretty deep. Those spines look nasty, but Naruto's had much worse then this. I think he just got over excited and messed up… why do boys do such silly things?" Sakura whispered, watching Naruto's shoulder mend.

Next was Fleur. Compared to Cedric, her match was almost a cake walk. Using some magic, she put the dragon into a dazed state, and the great head began to fall toward the ground. Then the dragon snored. A jet of fire flew from its scaly nostrils, and Fleur gave a little yelp as her skirt caught fire, and shot a little water out of her wand. However, after she managed to get past the flames, she simply picked up the egg and left.

Krum walked onto the field, shouting a spell and hitting the dragon in the eye. The enraged beast trampled over the field, squashed eggs flying everywhere. "Looks like I have to step in and help those poor dragon retainers." Temari muttered. "Why don't you do it, Gaara?"

"He's not my charge. You're protecting the Durmstrang champion." Gaara replied. Grumbling Temari vaulted off the wall top. The dragon keepers had managed to immobilize the dragon briefly, and she took advantage of the moment and cast a genjutsu over the creature, and it fell into a deep sleep. The relieved retainers carted the snoozing dragon out of the pitch.

* * *

Harry sat in the tent, listening to the cries and roars of the audience. It was like listening to a many headed monster. He could hear someone shouting Naruto's name, and Sakura's voice nearby. The outlines of Sakura, Temari, and Naruto went by, the first two seemingly carrying the last between them.

"Let's just dump him in the bed here." They moved on into the infirmary tent next door. Cedric was following them. He poked his head into the tent Harry occupied. Harry took in his appearance. His clothes were covered with mud, and blood was smeared across his face.

"Don't worry— it's not mine!" Cedric said quickly, and laughed, a high pitched, empty sound. His hands, clenched around the golden egg, were shaking. "Anyway… it's your turn now. That red-haired bloke is waiting down by the arena for you… good luck, right?" He gave another hollow laugh, before hurrying to the next tent.

Swallowing, Harry stood up and pushed his way out of the tent. Step by step, he made his way toward the arena. The grass was wet, and his feet sunk into the mud. _I wish this mud would swallow me up…_ Harry thought absently, fingering his wand. Gaara was standing by the entrance to the arena. "Are you here to help me?" Harry asked. Though he didn't want to fight a dragon, he couldn't help let a bitter note seep into his voice at the thought that Dumbledore thought he was helpless.

"Not unless I have to." Gaara replied. "Best of luck." Harry nodded, before hardening himself up as much as he could and stepping into the thunderous stadium.

_I will show you, Professor Dumbledore. _He thought.

_I will show you I am strong._

* * *

Cliffy! You must all hate me. More action coming your way in Chapter 9… hard to believe that I'm almost at 10 already. I'm so thankful for all you reviewers. Your encouragement really helps keep me writing through my writer's blocks. Boo hoo… thank you!

TGD


	9. The Dragon Showdown

**I had quite bit of time to look through and edit this, but please point errors out if you see them anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.**

* * *

_I will show you I am strong. I will show you I am strong._ Harry repeated this like a mantra in his head as he stepped onto the field. _I will_… the dragon fixed him with a steely yellow gaze and screamed a challenge. What was he repeating like a mantra again?

Harry ducked behind a rock as the dragon flung flames far and wide over the field. Harry grunted as a few superheated pebbles dug into the skin of his hands. Quickly brushing them off, he whipped out his wand.

"_A-accio…_" He couldn't get the words out. _Concentrate!_ Harry was gasping, fear stopping his tongue and mind. _I can't do this…_

"Come on, Harry! You aren't giving up, are you?" Temari shouted brashly from her vantage point.

_Yeah, actually, I am,_ he thought. _This is suicide!_ Another small rock hit him in the face, and he swatted at the spot.

"You're disappointing me, Potter. Perhaps I should let out my anger a little from the way you acted the previous few nights." Gaara stood there impatiently, tossing another pebble up and down.

"I- I can't do this, Gaara, it's insane!" Harry shouted over the dragon's roar. Gaara's hand vanished for a moment. There was a sharp whistle, and the pebble impacted the rock by Harry's head. The smaller rock shattered from the force, while the larger rock cracked where the pebble hit.

"Dumbledore was right. You _do_ need help. You're incompetent. Good for nothing." Gaara said idly. Harry, despite his respect for the Headmaster, felt rage build up inside of him.

"I am not!" Harry exploded.

"_Prove it to me._" Gaara whispered, turning to sand and blowing away. _That does it._ Harry thought furiously, whipping out his wand.

"_ACCIO FIREBOLT!_" Harry shouted purposefully. For a moment, nothing happened. The dragon took a huge step toward him, and between her black legs, he could see the golden egg shimmering. In the entrance of the grounds, he could see Gaara leaning against the doorframe, as if nothing had happened. _What am I doing again?_ Harry's resolve was ready to shatter again, when the sound of the Firebolt speeding through the air broke his panic. There, flying over the stands, was his trusty broom. It stopped by his hand, vibrating, waiting to be used. Harry put out a hand and gripped the handle.

Immediately, it was as if he was soothed by the feel of the broom. Kicking off of the ground, he heard the roar of the stadium drop away, and the dragon's head followed him up, like a snake watching its charmer. This was going to be easy. Her jaws opened, fire billowing out in a searing cloud, meant to incinerate him. Harry dove. The flames missed, so close that he could feel the deadly heat that would not even leave his bones behind.

In his mind, he saw the practice Gaara and Naruto had done, Gaara breathing a stream of fire before using a tail of sand to hit Naruto away. Sure enough, the dragon's own tail was coming up to do the same thing. Harry spun on the broom to dodge the tail. He made one miscalculation: Gaara's sand tail wasn't spiked. The sharp ivory tips of the dragon's spikes scraped into Harry's shoulder, not as deep as Naruto's wound, but the same place. The crowd gasped, a few screams were heard.

Harry ignored the hot blood trickling down his elbow, focusing on the huge scaled arms moving to swat him away from the nest. He swerved around a gigantic clawed paw before scooping the egg up and shooting away to safety. The dragon's screams and cries of anger and despair followed him, as well as a few stray flames that the dragon made in an attempt to bring him down. Dragon handlers flooded onto the field, digging chains into the ground and making a bad attempt at subduing her.

Her head thrashed, and a few more jets of flame kept the handlers away. Gaara appeared then, purposefully walking onto the field. "About time he did his share." Temari grumbled, while Sakura laughed.

He looked the dragon in the eye, challenging her. In him, the dragon recognized something greater than she, saw the creature that dwelled within the boy. Fear swelled in her, and she blasted him with fire. The sand shield blocked it, turning to glass, but Gaara kept walking, leaving the shining wall behind. For a moment, his eyes flashed black and gold.

"_You _will_ submit to me._" Gaara whispered, but it wasn't the boy who spoke, it was the demon. The dragon heard and knew defeat, fear clutching her heart with icy fingers. She quietly allowed the handlers to take her away.

Temari and Sakura joined him on the field. "Wow, you're amazing, Gaara." Sakura said quietly. Temari grinned widely.

"You can make dragons obey with only your voice! Incredible!" Temari said happily, but stopped when she saw the color of his eyes. "Oh…" she whispered. Then Gaara blinked, and his eyes were back to normal.

"He wanted to have fun. He was getting frustrated with the lack of action." Gaara said calmly. In his mind, Shukaku was humming a cheerful tune, as cheerful as he could be while being contained in a host who didn't really listen to him anymore. "I see." Temari remarked. "You scare me when you let him do things like that. Makes me think that you're having a relapse or something." she added sourly.

"Sorry." Gaara mumbled. Temari shrugged.

"Eh, whatever, the fact is, Harry got through, and you— I mean _he_— stopped a dragon with only his voice! That merits a celebration!" Temari shouted. Sakura looked at both of them.

"Temari, why are you acting like Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto woke up after you left to watch Harry, and a little before I did. He asked me to say that, if Harry and Gaara did anything cool." Temari said, a light red blush on her cheeks. Sakura harrumphed.

"If you ask me, Naruto needs the celebration for healing so quickly after getting beat up by a dragon." Sakura grumbled. "I'm going to go talk to that idiot." She stomped off the field toward the medical tent. The other two ninja followed her.

* * *

In the tent, Harry was sitting a bed near Naruto, being amused by Madam Pomfrey's efforts to keep the hyperactive ninja in bed. "Please, I'm all better, look— GAH!" Naruto screamed as the stern nurse prodded his shoulder none too lightly.

"Sit _still_, you silly boy! You are obviously not _all better!_" She shouted. "I have to see to Potter— SIT! Ah, Ms. Sakura! Ms. Temari! Please, help me keep that boy under control!" Sakura casually bopped Naruto on the head.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned, cradling his head.

"You don't seem to be completely healed. Let me help." Sakura pressed her hands to Naruto's shoulder. The broken skin was already almost healed over, and with the help of Sakura, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

"Wish you could heal like me, huh, Harry?" Naruto asked with a fox-like grin, showing his unblemished shoulder to the other boy. Harry grinned back.

"Good to see you're on your feet, Naruto," he said, wincing as Madam Pomfrey poked about with her wand. After a quick spell, Harry's skin began to stitch itself together.

"Why didn't you do that to me?" Naruto asked, gesturing to Harry's shoulder.

"My magic would have just been absorbed by the magical network you call 'chakra' spread throughout your body. I think it would have done more harm than good." The nurse replied. Sakura nodded thoughtfully, thinking of the way Gaara had collapsed when the Stunning Spell hit him. While the spell didn't seem to do much in the way of stunning him, it seemed that the magic had been redirected somewhere else because his chakra network was spread throughout his entire body, not just in his arm and core.

She supposed it was like putting dye in water; if you put some dye in a little water, you would get rich colors; put the same amount of dye in more water, and the color is thinner. Sakura decided that it was more proof that ninjas were stronger than wizards, containing more magical energy, more water.

Gaara slid between the tent flaps without making a sound. "Congratulations." He said quietly. Harry nodded.

"I don't think I could have done it if you didn't egg me on." Harry said with a little laugh. Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"Don't let it become a habit. I won't be there for the next task."

"What?" Harry was shocked. "But you're supposed—"

"To help you, yes. But… let's just say I don't mix well with _water_." Gaara cut him off and turned to leave. "By the way, your score is about to be announced, so you should head out there."

"Okay." Harry shrugged. Well, sand didn't go very well with water, for sure, he thought, picking up his egg and going back outside.

"HARRY!" A voice squealed, and Harry found himself being squeezed partially to death. Hermione was hugging him as if she wouldn't let him go. "I was so scared to begin with… and then I saw it hit you, just like it did Naruto—a-a-and…" she hugged him tighter. When she looked up at his face, Harry could see the finger marks from where she had been clutching it in terror.

Ron approached quietly. "Harry… I reckon someone's trying to do you in!" he choked. Harry regarded him with cool eyes.

"So you've caught on, have you?" He didn't know why he was saying this, even as Ron was seemingly offering him the chance to make things up.

Ron opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Harry, I—" he began.

"It's fine. Forget about it." Harry said, patting his friend on the back.

"No, really—" Ron tried again, but his voice was drowned out as the crowd burst into cheers as they re- entered the field. "It's marks out of ten." Ron bellowed over the noise. Madam Maxime was first, a silver eight twisting out of her wand. Dumbledore presented Harry with a nine. Ron was nodding approvingly, but it turned to exhilaration as Ludo Bagman gave Harry a ten.

Harry's mind was reeling. "Why would he give me a ten? I got hurt… what's going on?" he muttered. Ron was too carried away.

"Don't complain about good things, you know!" Ron shouted. Karkaroff sourly gave Harry a four. Ron yelled indignantly.

"That scumbag gave Krum a ten! And Krum didn't do half as well." Ron was almost beside himself, his face pink as he screamed. Harry didn't care what he got— he was only happy that his friend was back on his side.

Naruto bounced over, his orange jacket back in place, flanked by Temari, Sakura, and Gaara. A huge grin was plastered across his face, and he gave the young wizard a high five.

"You got first place! Great job!" he said, though he slyly looked at Gaara out of the corner of his eye. Gaara blinked.

"I only got him into gear." Gaara said. "He did the rest himself. You are a skilled wizard, Harry Potter." he added quietly. Sakura led the group off the field, away from all the flashing cameras and cheering people, before pulling them all into a small alcove under the stadium.

"I hate to ruin the moment, especially after the victory, but who ever was trying to kill you with the dragon in the first task obviously did not succeed." she whispered.

"Which means he's coming for me again? Perhaps in the second task?" Harry asked. The four ninja glanced at each other uneasily.

"The second task… it will be especially dangerous. We can't exactly follow you through it, see?" Naruto said. Harry narrowed his eyes at them.

"What is the second task?"

"We can't tell you. It's against the rules." Temari said.

"However, I've already given you a hint. Think back to our encounter at the tent, and it will come to you. That is all I can say." Gaara finished.

Naruto grabbed Harry's shoulder. "And remember, you _must not die_." The orange ninja was serious for once, his blue eyes piercing Harry's green ones. "Your world is not the only one that has stakes on the outcome of this battle. If you die, this world will fall to a man much worse than Voldemort. Remember that."

* * *

And done with that one! Thank you everybody! The 50th reviewer is Chimeralchy! Virtual Cookies for you! Please review!


	10. The Egg's Secret

**Welcome back, to all my readers, and to me. I've had writer's block, and I finally managed to get this out. I am **_**so**_** relieved. But I've hit the milestone, right? Chapter ten? Yes? No? Maybe?**

**Anywho, thanks for sticking with me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Harry Potter**_** or **_**Naruto**_**. **

* * *

"Harry, Harry! What's in the egg? Open it, open it!" Fred was yelling excitedly. The chant was taken on by the rest of the Gryffindors attending the party.

"_Open it! Open it! Open it!_"

"Alright, then." Harry said, before running his fingers along the side of the egg. If he examined it, he could see a faint crack running through the middle. He pushed his fingernails into the seam and pulled.

The egg screamed. It was a horrible, blood-curdling, eardrum-breaking sound, and all of the people in the room had their hands pressed over their ears.

"_CLOSE IT!_" George roared over the din, and Harry clapped it shut, panting.

In the hall outside of the Gryffindor tower, Gaara leaned against the wall, suffering a minor heart attack from the jolt of shock that had sped from his feet to his head. He knew what the eggs sounded like, but he hadn't expected Harry to actually open it right then and there. The ninja shook the ringing out of his ears. Little did he know, Naruto had also experienced the devastation from the screaming eggs as well.

Back in the Common Room, people finally came to their senses from where they lay surprised on the floor. "Blimey, Harry, do you have to fight a _banshee_ next?" he asked, referring to the magical creature that looked like a woman but screamed horribly.

"Sounded like Percy singing in the shower. Perhaps you have to ambush him!" Fred said. Ron groaned.

Hermione frowned. "What could it mean? Surely that egg, which is supposed to be a clue for the next competition, is not just a prank." she said contemplatively. "We have some work to do."

At one in the morning, the last partying Gryffindors dragged themselves up to bed, yawning immensely.

* * *

After a rather harrowing experience during Care of Magical Creatures, Harry was in the library trying to find information on eggs and screams. Hermione sat next to him, feverishly searching through an immense pile of books, while Ron lay with his face in a page, snoring slightly. Hermione jabbed him in the shoulder, and he jerked up.

"You're not helping, Ronald!" she said in an angry whisper. Ron yawned.

"It's not like we know what we're actually looking for, 'Mione." he said. Hermione closed the book she was reading with a snap and moved on to another one.

Naruto wandered into the library. "Oh, hey, Harry!" he said, happy as always. Madam Pince shushed him harshly.

"Hi, Naruto." Harry replied in a quiet tone.

"Have you figured out the task?" the shinobi asked innocently. Harry shook his head.

"We're still trying."

"Good luck." Naruto said, turning to leave. He casually looked over his shoulder, eyes glinting. "You better hurry up. Diggory's almost there. I think he got help. Someone leaked info to him…" Naruto walked out of the library, muttering to himself.

Seeing Naruto jogged Harry's memory, and he leaned in to talk to his friends.

"Oh, guys, yesterday, after the task, Sakura and the others pulled me aside. Apparently, they've already given me a hint about what's coming… Gaara said to think back to when we talked in the medical tent." Harry mused. Hermione pounced.

"Tell me everything, Harry. Everything that you guys said." So Harry recounted the encounter.

"… and the last thing he said was 'I don't mix well with water.' He seemed to emphasize on the water part of that." Harry finished.

"He doesn't mix with water? That's… No! That's it! I can't believe it! He just _told_ you how to figure this out! Mix with water. Quick, let's put it in some water!" Hermione cried, and Madam Pince looked stricken.

"I say, _watch_ your voices!" she said angrily.

"Sorry!" Hermione squeaked as she dragged the two boys out.

* * *

An hour later, the trio stood before the boy's bathroom.

"I'm not about to go in there, but you should go fill a sink with water and put the egg in." Hermione said, pointing to the door.

"Alright then…" Harry and Ron pushed into the bathroom. After the sink was full of warmish water, Harry submerged the egg and cracked it open. A faint noise could be heard, but it wasn't loud or coherent, even when Harry put his ear next to the surface of the water.

"I think you need to put your head in." Ron said, listening intently.

"Right." Harry said absently. "Where's a big tub?"

"No clue." Ron replied.

Harry gave a sigh and rubbed his head. The day had started well when he figured out the answer, but had quickly plummeted downhill when the matter of finding a place to _listen_ to the egg arose. He wandered down the corridor, until he bumped into Sakura.

"Oh, sorry! Are you okay? You look kind of down…" Sakura said.

"Er, yeah, I'm fine." Harry mumbled, until his head was jerked up and Sakura stared into his face.

"You don't look fine. Tell me what's going on." Sakura pulled Harry into a corner.

"It's that silly egg! We figured out that it needs to be immersed in water, but I don't know where I can find a bath tub in Hogwarts so that I can listen to it!" he said angrily. "Not to mention that Malfoy and his cronies keep flashing their stupid green badges at me every moment they get a chance."

"You could try to sneak into the prefect's bathroom." Sakura said.

"Couldn't you take the egg in with you and listen to it and tell me?" Harry pleaded.

"No! That's cheating." Sakura exclaimed. "But the bathroom smells fresh. _Pine Fresh_, if you know what I mean," she said in a normal voice, winking.

"Wait—" Harry tried to grab her wrist, but she broke free, and Harry could feel the iron strength in her arms.

"Time waits for no man!" Sakura said, walking down the hall. "Don't let us catch you, Potter!"

"Yeah…"

* * *

At dinner, Harry sat with Ron and Hermione, quietly devising a plan to get into the prefect's bathroom.

"It will be _easy_. Only Gaara guards the castle at night." Hermione said.

"Yeah, but he can go _anywhere!_" Harry whispered, thinking of the time that he and Ron had been arguing. "He can make these weird clones out of sand, and they help him patrol the castle, it looks like."

"Sh!" Ron hissed, as Gaara walked by with a huffy Temari. They could here Temari animatedly talking about some new academy somewhere in their village, while Gaara gave a morose comment occasionally.

"No one will want to have me as their instructor." Gaara said quietly, sadness slipping into his voice.

Temari gave her brother a sympathetic look. "I'm sure that some one will want you, Gaara, so don't rule yourself out yet."

The trio leaned in again as the ninja moved on their way. "Sakura knows I'll try to hit the bathroom tonight," Harry said. "She told me the password. There's the possibility she will be waiting for me when I go there tonight."

"There's always the invisibility cloak." Ron said.

"Ron! You're a genius! Now the only problem is getting there without being heard… you could cast the _Silencio_ charm on yourself." Hermione exclaimed, hugging Ron. The youngest Weasely blushed furiously.

"That's perfect. Are any of you guys coming with me, then?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Well… it's kind of been a long time… and people grow up. I don't think we can all fit under the invisibility cloak anymore. It will just have to be you. Sorry, Harry." Hermione whispered.

"It's fine." Harry replied, somewhat crestfallen. He'd really hoped that it could be just like in their first year, but clearly not. And he did not want to be wandering around the school alone at night while Gaara was on the prowl.

* * *

Harry winced as his thighs groaned in agony. He'd grown so tall over the summer that, draping the cloak over himself, his feet still poked out. He could imagine the strange looks anyone in the hall would give his disembodied feet. As a result, he'd taken to walking in a painful half-crouch.

He peered at the Marauder's Map in the half-light provided by his wand. Gaara, or so he assumed, judging from the Asian looking writing on the map, was no where near the prefect's room. On the other hand, Miss Norris, Filch's annoying cat, was just around the corner. Harry froze, holding his breath. He wasn't sure, but it almost seemed as if Miss Norris could see through invisibility cloaks. To his relief, the cat soon left, and Harry proceeded down the corridor to the picture over the prefect's bathroom entrance.

"_Pine Fresh_." Harry breathed, as quietly as possible, and the door swung open on noiseless hinges. He quickly scrambled into the portrait hole, closing the door behind him.

The bathroom was huge, with walls of orange stone and cold floors of pinkish orange marble. The most noticeable feature though, was the huge bathtub sunken into the floor. It was easily the size of a small swimming pool. Harry took a few steps forward, letting the cloak slide off his shoulders to collapse in a billowing pile to the ground.

"So you came," a deep voice rasped. Harry jumped, almost slipping on the cloak he so recently abandoned. He spotted Gaara sitting on a counter nearby. Harry checked his map again. Gaara's name was still in the dungeon next to a dot labeled "Filch" and "Miss Norris"; yet here he was.

"Gaara? What— how?" Harry spluttered, over his shock.

"No, not Gaara. His clone." "Gaara" replied. "The real me is currently trying to keep Filch from coming up here and investigating that stupid cat's claims. She smelled you and heard you, you know. You weren't stealthy at all." The sand clone had disappointment written on every line of its slightly shifting face. Suddenly, the lines smoothed out, the shifting stopped, and the dot with Gaara's name on it appeared next to Harry on the map. "But you came." Gaara finished.

"So now you're really here?" Harry asked.

"In the flesh." Gaara said dryly. "But you better get going before the night is fully gone. You have an egg to crack, do you not?"

Harry smiled at the ninja's unintended pun. "Yeah."

He turned one of the tub's silver knobs, and blue bubbles shot from the faucet. It took a few tries to finally get water to flow. When the tub was full, Harry swam a lap just for fun, then picked up the egg. He'd just ducked his head underwater when he realized he wasn't alone. Harry almost drowned himself in the water before he realized it was Moaning Myrtle. Coughing, he managed to say, "Myrtle! I'm not wearing anything!"

The silvery ghost smiled. "It's okay. I covered my eyes when you got in. You haven't visited for ages." she giggled, a haunting echoing sound. Or maybe that was exactly how she wanted it.

"Well… it's a girl's bathroom. And I got told off for going in it, last time." he added when Myrtle opened her mouth to argue.

"Get going, Harry." Gaara said suddenly, standing behind Harry, and once again, the wizard gagged water. He hadn't even noticed the shinobi come to stand behind him. Harry plunged underwater and opened the egg. Instantly, he was surrounded in eerie melody.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching, ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_And hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour __—__ the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

Harry resurfaced with a gasp. "Okay, so now I've got the egg figured out. But now, what can it mean?"

* * *

Again, thank you for your patience! And now, by reviewing, you can make this story better! So please do!


	11. Starting the Second Task

**Yay! Between getting accepted to a summer course at Brown University and studying for tests, I have finally gotten time to write! I am so happy I was able to get this in… Please enjoy, it's been a while, thank you for remaining faithful!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto**

**Also, it was brought to my attention that, while I originally had a format where changes in subject were marked, those were deleted in the process of uploading. These are now fixed.**

* * *

"What can it mean?" Harry wondered, looking at Gaara.

"I can't tell you that. Think, Harry." The ninja looked the other way as he handed Harry a towel. Myrtle giggled, and Harry wrapped the towel around his waist, red faced. "What _do_ you know about the egg?" he asked.

Harry tapped his knuckles idly against the egg's smooth shell. "It doesn't sound right unless you put it underwater…"

"Right, and where can you go under water?" Myrtle chimed in.

"A bathtub?"

"Stupid!" Myrtle scolded, splashing bubbly water at him with a transparent hand (how she did that when she passed through all else, Harry did not know). "You think that a _bathtub_ is the only place you could go underwater? I thought you were smart." she turned away from him sulkily, scowling at the mermaid painting. The mermaid combed her hair with her fingers, smiling alluringly at Harry. Harry blushed in turn.

"You are even more stupid then I thought." Myrtle rose from the tub and drifted toward the window, her pearly outline barely visible against the night sky outside. Harry came to stand next to her, slipping his pants and shirt back on.

"The lake?" Harry asked.

"Bingo!" Myrtle giggled, tapping a finger through his nose and making the boy shiver from the cold. "And you ought to know what is in the lake, too." she scowled at the mermaid again.

"Mermaids? The next task is in the lake against mermaids?"

_Well thought, seer of the obvious,_ Shukaku purred in Gaara's head. For once, the ninja's lip twisted in a smirk at the demon's sense of humor.

* * *

Harry trudged back down the hall, egg tucked under his arm. In his mind, he ran through all the possible ways he could get down to the bottom of the lake.

He could try to transfigure himself, but he'd seen what happened when those went wrong…

He could also attempt the bubble head charm, but he did not really know how to do that.

Before Gaara had left, Harry had tried to pester the ninja into showing some kind of technique that would allow him to breathe underwater. The ninja had easily dismissed him: "Even if I did know a technique, you could not use it; my 'magical energy' flows throughout my entire body. Yours only flows from your heart and mind to your arm, and is conducted via the wand."

"…Oh." Harry did not really understand what the ninja was saying, but took it to mean "no." He spent the next few days in the library, desperately researching, but found nothing.

The day before the task, he'd still not found anything. Madam Pince had been kind enough to let him stay, so long as one of the ninja was with him, and continue to research. Temari had volunteered to stay with him, while Gaara continued patrol, and tried to help, though her search was also fruitless.

At three o'clock in the morning, Harry woke up to feel Temari tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey." It took Harry a moment to realize who was talking to him— Temari rarely spoke to him at all. "Hey, wake up!" her voice, cynical and biting, came again.

Harry rolled over, stifling an immense yawn. "Wha…?" he managed to croak, his throat dry as a bone. Temari snorted.

"Good thing you aren't a ninja. You'd be dead by now." she remarked. Harry responded with a glassy glare. "There's a house elf named 'Dobby' or something here to see you. And don't give me that look, you little punk. I've got brothers who are way tougher than you." she sneered. It made sense— Gaara was certainly a formidable brother.

Then it clicked into his mind. Dobby was there!

"Dobby?"

"Harry Potter! Harry Potter is so kind to Dobby, that Dobby could not wait to see him again… he heard that Harry Potter was having trouble for the second task, and he wanted to help, oh how Dobby wanted to help…" The elf flung himself at Harry, squealing. Temari quirked an eyebrow, and Harry smiled at her.

"He's always like this." he explained, and she nodded mockingly. "You said you wanted to help me? What can you do? Did you find something?" he asked the house elf.

"Dobby did! He did! Had to take it from Snape's secret store, he did, but it will help Harry Potter!" Dobby pulled a handful of what appeared to be slimy green rat tails from the pocket of his shirt and brushed a few stray grains of lint from it. Needless to say, the salty, fishy smell was atrocious.

"What… is that?" Harry whispered, his eyes glued to the dripping mass.

"Gillyweed!" Dobby squeaked, shoving the wet bundle into Harry's hands. "It will allow Harry Potter to breathe underwater!"

"Great! Thanks, Dobby!" Harry bent and gave Dobby an awkward hug. He was interrupted when Temari cursed liberally.

"Harry, you have to get out of here, now! The match is about to start… hurry, get out there!" she cried, pushing him toward the door. Harry jogged down the hall, Temari hot on his heels. "You're too slow!" she shouted, scooping him up over her shoulder and putting on a burst of speed only a ninja could possess.

Harry was gasping: the walls were blurred into gray smears from the pace she'd set. Obstacles such poles and statues came at them at deadly speeds, missed by mere inches as she veered to the side. Her arm around his back was like a vice, a grip stronger than he thought possible of a woman; though Sakura seemed to be stronger.

Finally, the lake was in sight. Masses of people had gathered to watch, and the other champions had already lined up at the lake's edge. A magically amplified voice boomed for the audience's attention.

"_If Harry Potter does not appear within the next thirty seconds, his place in the Triwizard Tournament shall be forfeit…_" The voice was saying.

"Hold on!" Temari shouted, then jumped. Harry wanted to scream, but the wind savagely tore the sound out of his throat before he could utter it. She landed very firmly in the sand by the shore's edge, feet making deep imprints. When she pulled her feet from the ground, the sand squelched and sucked at her sandals. She set Harry down and took in his white and shaking countenance. "Good luck," she snickered.

"Thank goodness you brought him, Temari! Man, you were almost late! That was a close one!" Naruto shouted, waving at Harry from his spot on the lake.

On the lake? Sure enough, Naruto, Sakura, and Gaara were standing on the lake, seemingly at ease, and Temari stepped out onto the water as sure as if she were walking on earth.

"_Harry Potter has arrived, thank you, Miss Temari. And now, on the whistle, we shall began. Ready?_" the voice, recognizable now as Ludo Bagman's, blared.

The whistle blasted. Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor dove into the lake, rapidly vanishing into the cold depths. Harry waded into the shallows, and took the gillyweed from his pocket. Grimacing, he swallowed the plant, and choked.

He couldn't breath! Legs weak, he collapsed into the water and involuntarily inhaled. Instantly, his mind calmed, the roaring in his ears quieted. He felt along his neck. Gill slits had opened up, and his hands and toes had become webbed. He almost seemed to be some kind of fish.

He looked toward the surface, and saw Gaara staring down at him from the surface. The ninja tapped his wrist, as one taps a watch, to remind him of the time. Harry nodded and swam toward the dark abyss, where eerie singing rose to meet his ears.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please review!


	12. Enter the Mysterious Chakra

After a—long—delay I have finally updated! Because summer vacation has started, yahoo! I will do my best to update on a regular basis now. Though, this one is kinda short. Must... bring myself... to write... more...

TGD

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

* * *

The mermaids were not exactly the epitome of beauty. Bulging greenish eyes, swirling seaweed hair, and rippling silvery green scales with sharp teeth would be the last thing that a sailor would want to kiss. It also did not help that these particular mermaids were armed with spears and ready to kill.

Harry persevered, swimming around the mermaids and mermen that clustered around him, laughing and pointing with blunt webbed fingers. The lake was deeper than he'd ever imagined, for it held a vast underwater city of merpeople.

In the middle, there was a sort of town square with a broken statue on a pedestal, and to Harry's horror, four pale children hung from strands of rope around it. He saw Ron, red hair like a fire surrounding his head, Hermione, face white as snow. A little girl, ethereal in frozen beauty, and Cho Chang. Harry went to Hermione first, but the merpeople stopped him with a wall of bristling spears.

"She's my friend! I can't let her die!" he shouted in a stream of bubbles. A merman shook his head.

"The other champions will come," his voice was harsh. "You must save only one."

Harry swam to the bottom of the pavilion, near the statue's base. Rocks were strewn across the bottom, and he chose a particularly vicious one and began swim toward Ron. When the merpeople did not stop him, he began to hack at the rope. It was hard work; the rock, while jagged, was still rather blunt, and Harry could feel his shoulder burning with exhaustion after a while. The mermaids and mermen drifted about listlessly, singing softly or occasionally doing loops in the water.

Harry finally parted the ropes, pulling Ron free. When he turned, the mermen were parting to let Cedric Diggory through, his features stretched weirdly through a Bubble-head charm.

"Fleur and Krum are coming," he mouthed. "You should get going." Harry shook his head.

"I won't leave until they are all safe." he replied. Cedric shrugged and pulled a knife from his pocket, easily cutting Cho free and swimming back.

Then a nightmare appeared. It seemed human, but had the dorsal fin and head of a fearsome great white shark. The merpeople scattered a little at its approach, clustering around again upon realizing it was only a transfigured human. Krum.

The boy began to bite at Hermione's ropes, his new teeth snapping dangerously close to Hermione's head. Harry punched his shoulder, and the monstrous head with dull black eyes swung toward him. Harry leaned back to avoid getting knocked by Krum's new, long snout, and held out the rock. Without a word (as if he could speak) Krum split Hermione's rope (Harry enviously watched the muscular, bulging arms make short work of it) and immediately moved back toward the surface. Where was Fleur?

He saw a figure in the distance fighting back to the surface, smaller, shadowy shapes darting around it. It must have been Fleur. Now he knew she was not coming. Harry darted toward the little girl, whipping his wand out and waving it threateningly at the merpeople, who fled at the sight. With rock in hand, he hacked her bonds apart, taking longer than Krum, and began to float up.

It was just his luck that the gillyweed began to wear off then. He could feel the webs between his toes retreating, the gill slits disappearing. Harry kicked desperately, then saw a shadow appear above the water. He braced himself for some kind of attack, and as his head broke the water, fumbled for his wand in his full hands.

Just the opposite happened. A strong hand grasped his arm and pulled him out of the water, and Naruto and Sakura were at his side, taking Ron and the little girl from him. They were standing on the water as if it were ground, walking back to the shore. Gaara had Harry slung across his back, the second time Harry had been carried that day. He walked so surely across the lake that Harry forgot that he was not on land, but in fact on water.

"Please, I can walk." Harry grumbled. With a smirk, Gaara put him down. Harry stretched down his feet, and plunged back into the cold water. He resurfaced, spluttering.

"Unlike us, you can't walk on water." Gaara said, crouching by his head to look at him. Harry glared.

"I'll swim back on my own power then, thanks." he said irritably, beginning to push his way back toward the shore. Gaara simply walked on ahead, being careful not to splash.

_How odd_, Harry thought, watching the ninja pick his way around the heads of merpeople who had come to see the spectacle.

* * *

"GABRIELLE!" Fleur was crying when they returned. Sakura had set the little girl down in front of her, and now she was hugging her fit to break bones. She spotted Harry.

"Thank you, for saving my sister!" she cried, "Even though she was not your hostage!" Fleur kissed him twice on each cheek. Harry felt his face burn red. "And you! You helped!" she swooped down on Ron.

"Wha-?" Ron's face was red as his hair when she kissed him too. Hermione looked furious, but before something could happen, Ludo Bagman's voice boomed over the crowd.

"We will now announce the scores of the second task, Ladies and Gentlemen!

"Fleur Delacour was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal. She failed to retrieve her hostage, and has been awarded twenty five points.

"Cedric Diggory was first to return with his hostage, though one minute outside of the time limit of the hour. He has been awarded forty-seven points." Harry's heart sank. If Cedric had been late, how late had he been?

"Viktor Krum used an effective transfiguration, and was second to return. He will be awarded forty points." Karkaroff clapped loudly.

"And Harry Potter used gillyweed effectively, but was last to return and well over the time limit. We have been informed he reached the hostages first, and was determined to return them safely. He is awarded… forty five points." Hermione screamed at the announcement, her face pink with joy. Krum, forgotten, looked quite forlorn as Karkaroff clapped bitterly beside him.

"The final task will be in June. You will have precisely one month to prepare for what is coming next. Good luck!"

* * *

"One month, huh?" Naruto said, perched on the stone railing outside of the Great Hall with Sakura. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood with him. "Sounds kinda like our Chūnin exams." the orange ninja said. "We had a month to prepare for that, too."

"Was it hard? What did you have to do?" Hermione asked. Naruto swelled with pride.

"_I_ had to fight Neji Hyūga. He's really strong and really smart. But I won! And then Gaara—" Naruto stopped at a look from Sakura.

"It's nothing." she said. Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the issue.

Suddenly, Sakura's head snapped up. At the same time, Temari bounded into the entrance hall, face pink and panting.

"You felt it too?" she called, skidding to a halt before them. Sakura nodded, her eyes serious.

"What? What?" Naruto asked, leaning forward. "What are you feeling?"

"There's chakra flaring at the edge of the Forbidden Forest." Temari murmured. "Whoever it is, they are strong." Naruto squinted, trying to pick up the chakra, but failing, unable to sense beyond his massive, unveiled own.

"Are you sure it's not just Gaara?" he asked, giving up.

"Quite." Gaara said, materializing just behind Naruto and startling him from his precarious perch on the railing. "My chakra is firmly suppressed, not leaking from my pores as it is for you." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Way to act all superior, man." he groaned.

"I speak nothing but the truth." the sand ninja returned the jab lightly. Temari smiled.

"I'm glad you're developing a sense of humor, brother, but let's return to the matter at hand. We should investigate this chakra. Gaara, stay with Harry just in case…" she trailed off, but they knew what she was thinking. _In case we don't make it._

"Wait! We're coming with you!" Harry shouted. "What if this 'chakra' is a ninja out for me? Shouldn't I know?"

Gaara waved a hand in a casual shooing motion, and Naruto, Sakura, and Temari vanished in a blur of speed. "If that chakra is a ninja out for you, the moment you get near him, he will have succeeded in his mission."

"Even if we're with you? You are most likely the strongest ninja out there." Hermione tried to persuade him. Gaara didn't even blink.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, and…" he trailed off, moving toward a window. He pushed it open and let in the night air, keeping the trio in his periphery vision. He inhaled deeply, straining for even the faintest scent of the possible infiltrator in the wind, sending chakra to his nose and ears to heighten his senses. The smell of pine and grass suddenly became overpowered by the scent of the school: cold, musty stone, and potions gone wrong (he wrinkled his nose in slight distaste). Even more prominent to his chakra enhanced senses was the magical energy in the school. To him, the magic had always been a faint buzz in the back of his mind, a taste on the tip of his tongue, a voice he could hear but not understand. Now, he could feel the magic almost like a physical body, enveloping him in a fluctuating river of power. He sighed, letting his chakra drop again. With the magic suffocating him, it was impossible to sense the dimming signature of the flare.

Gaara could still feel a faint residue from the chakra flash earlier, and frowned, unable to place where he felt he'd sensed it before.

"I am not the strongest ninja," he said, realizing he'd left his last statement hanging. "I am very good at what I do, granted. But not the best." he looked back to Harry to find the boy trying to sneak away. In a flash, he'd fastened the miscreant to the ground using sand. Harry was frozen in mid-step; an awkward position indeed.

Ron laughed until Gaara gave him a stern glare. "Don't pretend you weren't trying to get away as well, Ronald." he growled. He released Harry. "I don't like how that chakra just appeared and vanished. It reeks of a plot to me. I want you guys in the common room, _now_."

Gaara could not get rid of the gut feeling that had his hair on end and his sand shifting in his gourd.

It was always those same gut feelings that warned him when an assassin approached.

* * *

Yay! I got another chapter out! And it's formatted correctly! Next up: what could possibly have Gaara so on edge? What created the chakra felt in the Forbidden Forest? Find out, next! (throws sales pitch here)


	13. Danger in the Mist

I am sorry for the HUGE delay! Thank you to everybody who stuck with me through this giant lag! On to the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Temari, Naruto, and Sakura scoured the forest, searching for the source of the flare. The air was cold, mist advancing like a silent army through the trees. Every time, the skittering footsteps of a forest creature made the shinobi leap on guard.

Sakura's eyes darted about the clearing they had come upon. The pale dome of a spider web stretched over their heads like a fragile tent, but the acromantulas, which were the only beings capable of weaving such a unique thing, were not present. Sakura knew the place; it was the meeting place of Aragog, a gigantic spider, almost four times the size of a horse. The acromantula, however, was not there. There was not much that could frighten them, and the fact that they were absent raised the ninja's guard higher then it already was. She tensed.

There was a figure in the mist up ahead, dark in the ghostly white fog. It was horribly familiar.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked uncertainly. The figure stepped toward her, revealing her old friend's pale countenance and raven black hair. Something was wrong. His smile, always so reassuring before, was twisted into a leer and something unnamed danced behind his eyes.

"It's good to see you again, Sakura." he drawled, shoving his hands in his pockets. His eyes danced to Temari and Naruto, just behind her. "And Naruto, too. Ah… and if it isn't that Sand girl. Where's your freak brother? I can sense him nearby. That castle, perhaps?" Sasuke's gaze flicked toward Hogwarts and back.

"Sasuke! I can't believe you're back!" Naruto bounded toward him. Sasuke's lips suddenly twisted, and a completely different voice came out of his mouth. It was oily and almost feminine, and he reached a hand to his forehead, his fingers digging into the skin of his scalp. He giggled.

"You didn't think I would actually let Sasuke come here, did you? The looks on your faces when you thought you saw him were purely… delightful." He peeled his face away, and a yellow pair of snake eyes watched them laughingly. Sasuke's body rippled and seemed to peel away like a snake skin, and Orochimaru himself stepped out of the disguise. "The creation of my ultimate body is far from complete. He still has some training to go. So why not pass the time by subjugating a whole new country with whole new powers to gain? That idiotic excuse for a dark lord here is just a pawn in my shogi game. As are you."

"You…!" Naruto's voice shook. "How dare you!" he launched himself at the sannin, his fingers curled into a tight fist. Orochimaru smirked, blocking the punch with one hand and gripping the boy's arm. Then he returned the punch, slamming it into Naruto's stomach. Naruto convulsed, blood spraying from his lips, and went still.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, fuelling her hands with chakra and charging. Temari leaped forward to stop her.

"No! Charging him is useless, can't you see?" she yelled. Orochimaru laughed again, a chiming sound that echoed through the forest.

"An astute observation, as expected of you, dearest Temari." He vanished in a blur of speed, dropping Naruto to the ground. Temari didn't even have the time to turn around before his voice was hissing in her ear. "_But standing around doing nothing is equally as useless._" He knocked her out with a knife-hand to the back of her neck. Temari slumped, dropping to the ground and laying still. Sakura was the only one remaining, and she stood her ground bravely.

"And then there was one. Such a pity." Orochimaru brushed some imaginary dirt from his fingernails. "But I can't have you going back and warning Gaara of my presence. He must remain in the dark for some time yet… I have a plan for him, and it's delightfully horrid. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to forget about our little encounter, sweet Sakura." Orochimaru pulled a wand from somewhere in his beige robe. Sakura's eyes widened.

"How—" she gasped, just as he pointed it at her and said,

"_Obliviate_." Then everything went dark.

* * *

She awoke sometime later in the hospital wing. For a while, Sakura simply stared at the white ceiling in confusion. How did she get here? Why was she here? Then a large fuzzy shape by her bed resolved itself into Gaara, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Why…?" she began, her throat feeling as if it were coated by Gaara's sand. A hand lifted her head slightly, and the cool glass of a cup of water was pressed to her lips.

"Drink. Not too fast." Gaara said shortly, his voice somewhat tight. It was hard to tell from his expression what he was thinking, but his eyes were carefully guarded. "Why is my sister gone, and Naruto in intensive care for extreme internal bleeding?"

"I don't know." Sakura said, swallowing a mouthful of the water. It was lukewarm, but it still managed to clear her throat. She rubbed a knuckle to her forehead.

"I feel like I should, but I've forgotten it. How could I?" she asked.

"Here now, she's just woken up! You shouldn't be interrogating her." Ron burst out. Gaara glared at him.

"This is out of your hands, Ronald Weasely, and it is rapidly slipping out of ours. If we do not get to the bottom of this, then Harry is a walking dead man."

Hermione tried to be helpful. "What do you remember?" she asked Sakura.

"I was in the woods..." she began. It was as if after that, her memories became foggy, harder to recall. "What was I doing there?" she asked.

"You were searching for the source of a chakra flare." Gaara supplied. The fog in her mind lifted a little bit.

"That's right. I saw someone after that, but who it is, I just can't remember!" she groaned. Hermione nodded.

"Her memory has been modified by whoever they met in the mist. It's the _obliviate_ spell. It erases the memory completely, though it's acting quite strangely here. Normally the person won't even remember the events leading up to their memories getting modified, and will fill it in with something else. The fact she remembers anything at all is interesting."

"This is a sickbay, not an experimental lab for spells gone wrong." Harry said. "Let's discuss the technicalities later." Gaara rubbed his eyes, showing the first signs of fatigue for ages.

"My sister has been _kidnapped_, Potter! Have you ever tried to kidnap a shinobi? It's immensely difficult, and whoever did it has to be stronger than her. So many things can be happening right now!" Gaara burst out, then stopped. "I am sorry. The full moon is coming, and I am preoccupied as of late." The stress strained his voice.

_"If you stayed close to me you would not have these worries."_ Shukaku said in the depths of his mind. Gaara scowled.

_"If I stayed close to you neither of us would be here. Now shut up."_

_"I could lend you my power. We could find the bastard who did this to Temari and get our revenge. Just let me free for a while during the full moon…"_ the demon wheedled. Gaara turned the water glass in his hands, not even leaving finger prints.

_"No."_ The demon shrugged at his response.

_"When your own power is spent, and you lie dying in the mud, you will wish you had my power."_

_"If I die, so do you." _Gaara reminded Shukaku. The demon laughed.

_"Not necessarily. Remember, I am always waiting to eat you UP!" _he shrieked.

Harry watched Gaara's face carefully. It seemed he was having a conversation with himself, his eyes glazed over and empty.

"Gaara?" he asked. The ninja shook himself from his stupor.

"Is Shukaku acting up again?" Sakura asked. Gaara nodded.

"I feel like I'm being stretched thin. First Shukaku is freed, then Temari is kidnapped, and you and Naruto get hurt, leaving me to deal with all of this. I won't be able to hold the demon back much longer at this rate. What if… what if I'm the one to kill Harry? If it's all a plot?" he fretted. His words made Sakura feel as if she were so close to recalling the encounter with the figure in the woods. It was frustrating, to say in the least. She sat up, but Gaara pushed her back down.

"You're not ready to be moving." he warned, and Sakura frowned.

"What?"

"I found you in the forest with a kunai screwed into your guts after I felt everyone's chakra signature vanish." he said. "We've not took any chances using magic to heal you, in case it injures you more, and I'm not the most skilled medic. I've only been using potions and basic first aid, even on Naruto. The faster you can see him, the better."

Sakura laid her hands on her stomach, feeling the thick casing of bandages. "Did you do this?" she asked. Gaara nodded, and Ron laughed.

"You should have seen his face when the nurse said that she didn't dare use any kind of magic on Sakura and that they would have to do it the manual way." he said. Gaara's face was inscrutable.

"I saw nothing." he said coolly.

"I hope you didn't." Sakura grumbled as she began unwrapping herself. She was slightly disturbed by the large amounts of crimson liquid soaked into the white cloth, and as soon as the wound came into view, she placed her hands upon it and began channeling her chakra for the healing. She couldn't even remember being stabbed.

"The only reason why you are awake now is because of all the potions, courteously provided by Snape." Harry said, watching with fascination as the gaping hole sealed itself up.

"Remind me to thank him later." Sakura said tightly as her chakra was drained. "It's taking up so much energy! What was in that dagger?" she asked.

"A mild form of poison known only to shinobi. I was not able to formulate an antidote, so the only way to purge it is via chakra healing." Gaara replied, placing his hands over hers and channeling his chakra into her. The wound steamed noxiously and finally closed.

"Now hurry. We must see to Naruto." he helped her out of bed.

"Shouldn't he be healed already?" Sakura asked. Gaara nodded.

"That is the issue. I can't feel _its_ chakra at all." Naruto's face was twisted in a grimace of pain, even as he slept. On his abdomen, deep discoloration, like bruises, marred the pink flesh. Sakura placed her hands on the darkest spots and began the healing, her hands glowing green. They began to fade, and Naruto's face relaxed.

"I don't understand. Why hasn't _it_ healed him already?" she asked.

"We'll find out." Gaara said shortly, moving her hands away when the bruises vanished completely, and pumping his own chakra through Naruto's system, targeting the seal of the Nine Tailed Fox. It jumped into sharp relief on his stomach, showing the intricate spiral and writings keeping the Fox imprisoned inside. Ron stared at it.

"Blimey, what is that?" he gasped.

"Like me, Naruto has a demon inside of him, the most powerful of all, the Nine Tailed Fox." Gaara explained quietly, examining the seal. "But the seal is all wrong— it has been modified. I don't know what has been done to it, though."

"It is a Five Pronged Seal." Sakura said. "Orochimaru did it to Naruto once before. This all reeks of that snake: the poison, the seal, and Temari kidnapped. This takes know-how to do. Shinobi know-how." Disjointed images flashed through her mind.

Orochimaru in a forest, emerging from Sasuke's skin. Temari, her eyes narrowed in concentration, even as she knew they had already lost. Sakura rubbed a knuckle to her forehead. If only she could remember the words, what was said!

"Forgive me for acting without counsel," Gaara was saying, "But I already contacted Dumbledore. He has informed me the Triwizard tournament will continue, but he has called in Aurors from the ministry for tighter security." Harry's eyes were wide.

"He can't do this! Professor Dumbledore expects you to guard me while your sister has been kidnapped? You can't do this!" he shouted. Madam Pomfrey shushed him from her office.

"I can, and I will. I care about her, but my duty is not to my family, but to you." Gaara said coldly. Sakura offered a sad smile.

"Gaara has changed much in the last year, but not enough, it seems. Naruto would have gone after Temari, even though he barely knew her." she said. "Now hurry and go back to bed. It is late, and you'll need to begin preparing for the final Task tomorrow, Harry. I will watch over Naruto tonight." The Golden Trio nodded, tight lipped, before setting off into the hall, Gaara just behind them. When they climbed through the portrait hole, Gaara remained outside, ready to begin patrolling the castle for the night.

He removed the kunai that had been imbedded in Sakura's body from his ninja pouch, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Orochimaru, huh?" he smirked. "You'll pay for this."

* * *

Finally! I know it is short!


	14. Of Winky and Mr Crouch

It's been a long time, hasn't it? School is ridiculously hard, and The Giant Daifuku is tuckered out! Well, here you go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Gaara accompanied Harry, Ron, and Hermione to the kitchens, where they were immediately swarmed by house-elves. While the elves gave the three students a warm welcome, they were repelled from the ninja by a look of cold calculation that cleared a meter's radius of living objects from around him. And he needed his space— Shukaku clamored in his mind, almost deafening him. Orochimaru's kunai burned against his thigh where he had put it in a hidden dagger sheathe, a constant reminder of Temari's absence. He was distracted from his plots of revenge when a house-elf sitting by the fire burst into tears, wailing with a sound akin to air raid sirens.

"Master cannot manage by himself!" the elf screeched, and Gaara resisted the urge to cover his ears or strangle the creature. Hermione looked at it angrily.

"Other people can do their own housework, Winky. They don't need _slaves_ to do it for them!" she burst out.

"No, no! Winky is —_hic_— not only doing housework for Mr. Crouch!" Winky swayed drunkenly, and Gaara noticed a bottle of butterbeer clenched in her long fingers. A few more bottles clinked under her stool. "Master is trusting—_hic_— Winky with the most important—_hic_— secret—!" Gaara narrowed his eyes, focusing on the drunk elf. Her master was Bartemius Crouch, he knew, and intelligence gathered during the course of the Tournament indicated that he was "ill" (The shinobi suspected other reasons, though) and that he was important to running the competition. If anyone wanted to ensure chaos, all they had to do was remove the head regulator. And Crouch had effectively been removed. Perhaps this elf would be able to enlighten them? He stealthily edged closer, but Harry broke Winky's rant by shouting,

"_What?_" Winky shook herself, sobbing, butterbeer running down her chin as she took another slop at the bottle to stop herself from speaking.

"Winky keeps her master's secrets. You is nosing. Nosing, nosing, nosing, nosing!" she finally said after she swallowed. Dobby jumped up.

"Winky must not say such things! Harry Potter is brave and noble and Harry Potter is not nosy!" he shouted.

"He is nosing—_hic_— into my master's private and secret—_hic_—Winky keeps her silence —_hic_—people trying to pry and poke—_hic_. Harry Potter is nosing!" Winky gave a shrill scream and tumbled from her stool, snoring. The bottle slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor. The kitchen was silent for a moment until several house-elves bundled her under a table-cloth and dragged her away. Gaara closed his eyes— the elf had done well, he realized as he picked up a shard of the butterbeer bottle and smelled a drop of liquid dangling from it. She had drugged her drink to put herself to sleep and prevent interrogation. These house-elves were smarter than he thought, and this particular house-elf was entwined especially deep in the dark dealings going on. He had to talk to Sakura; he could already feel a migraine building behind his eyes as he struggled to grapple with Winky's words.

_He is nosing into my master's private and secret… Winky keeps her silence… people trying to pry and poke…_

As voices rose in the kitchen behind him, he placed a hand on the checkered table-cloth covering Winky. "Who is trying to pry? Why are they prying? What is there to pry _for_?" he murmured. "What is Bartemius Crouch hiding?" Shukaku sniggered in the back of his mind.

_"We could torture her. Snap—crunch—crack— ah… do you remember the sound of breaking bones and falling blood?"_

"I do," Gaara whispered, standing, "But I do not think that pain would induce her to speak. Her constitution is different altogether. What a strong little creature." He glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were being shunted out the door.

_"The brats have no sense of how to gather information."_ Shukaku sighed.

"Don't tell me you actually are starting to like the kids," Gaara smirked, and the demon remained silent.

_"They are plucky and persistent, even if stupid and inexperienced. I like that."_ Shukaku said at last. _"They remind me of that Naruto kid."_

"Yeah," Gaara replied as he followed them down the passage.

* * *

The next day, Hermione received several letters of hate mail from the house-elves for some reason or another— Gaara really did not know why, but neither did he care until Hermione opened the last envelope, and would have spilled yellow-green liquid everywhere if the ninja had not dove for her and snatched the envelope out of her hands. His sand smoked and steamed as the pus at through it, making a beeline for his skin. In a flash, he was out of his sand armor, and the hollow shell collapsed to the floor. Seconds later, his shield sprang up to block a barrage of kunai and shuriken that came rattling out of the rafters. Pandemonium broke loose as children screamed, diving under tables and spilling into the hall.

Gaara absorbed the projectiles into his shield, throwing them back. A blast of wind knocked them down. Behind him, Sakura pulled up short as there was an explosion, blasting a hole in the ceiling of the Great Hall. They caught a glimpse of red cloth and a gleam of metal, the outline of four ponytails against the sun.

"Wait!" Sakura cried, making as if to dash forward, but Gaara grabbed her arm. "Let go of me, Gaara! It was Temari! Don't you care?"

"I know Temari, and chances are that she is already long gone from here once her assassination attempt failed. Chase is useless; she will have taken to the air for her escape. Where's Harry?"

"Here," Harry crawled out from under the table, looking at the huge hole in the ceiling. "What happened?"

"Temari attacked us," Sakura said. "Why would she do that?"

"The why is not important. It is the _who_. Is she working for Voldemort, or Orochimaru? Has she spilled secrets to them?" Gaara asked.

"Perhaps a visit to Professor Moody is in order?" Hermione asked as she avoided stepping into pile of steaming sand that was all that remained of Gaara's sand armor after the bubotuber pus had gotten into it.

"I do not trust him any farther than I could throw Shukaku." The sand ninja replied. In his mind, the demon snorted.

_"What are you implying, kid?"_

"It could have been one of those unforgivable curses Moody told us about," Ron shrugged. "What's it called? The Imperius Curse?"

"Maybe," Sakura mused as Dumbledore gathered the students to begin emergency procedures. "But the fact is, now that a highly skilled ninja is directly attacking the school, Hogwarts is no longer safe. She broke the wards and we never knew."

Gaara sighed, slumping onto a chair, rubbing his eyes. He was _stressed_. Orochimaru was bad, always bad, never welcome, never meant good things. This Voldemort was with Orochimaru and so was Temari. The Tournament was fracturing into a much more devious scheme than it had initially appeared to be. He closed his eyes, leaning back on his elbows against the tables. The Third and Final Task was less than a week. In less than a week, the next Ninja War might break, right over their heads in the Wizarding World. If he had not such a strong bulwark against emotions, he might have starting crying. No, Gaara was made of stronger stuff, and preventing a Ninja War was something he had been hired by Tsunade to do. He stood back up.

"Sakura, you are the best person for reading chakra. Identify the chakra on Naruto's five-pronged seal and search for it on the grounds. I will look into the third task and Bartemius Crouch."

"Right!"

"Crouch?" Ron asked, scratching his head. "My brother works for him. I could, uh, covertly write him and ask what's going on."

"Do it." Gaara's face had Ron scrambling for quil and paper where he stood.

* * *

_As I am constantly telling the _Daily Prophet_, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break… No, I haven't actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superior's handwriting._

Percy's less than courteous reply had Ron fuming.

"Well, at least we know that Crouch is not up to anything."

"Do we?" Sakura asked, peering over his shoulder. Hermione almost dropped the letter into her teacup in surprise. "You should not use handwriting to judge a person's identity." She examined the letter, then wrote a beautiful replica of it after a few minutes. "How do you know it was not a forgery? Or even worse, in the wizarding world, the actual person could be doing the writing— but they are under a spell."

"Oh…" Ron paled. "You mean you think…?"

"Crouch could be under the Imperius Curse, and perhaps Temari, too. What a bag of snakes this job has turned into." Sakura sighed, rubbing her eyelids. Harry was somewhat concerned that she looked drawn, almost haggard.

"They are preparing the Quidditch field for the third task," he said, trying to distract her.

"Oh?" she looked as if she was forcing herself to be interested.

"They are growing a maze using hedges, and there is a cup in the middle. The first person to touch the cup wins." Harry said.

"That has to sound like the easiest one yet!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, there's obstacles. Hagrid is providing creatures, and we all know Hagrid's creatures." Harry said semi-bitterly. There was a shared air of memory over the trio, while Sakura blinked in bewilderment and fatigue. "It's not going to be easy, that's for sure."

Just then, Krum walked over to them, fidgeting slightly.

"Could I haff a vord?" he said. "Vould you valk vit' me?"

Harry glanced toward Gaara, who lounged near a gargoyle placidly. When the ninja met his eyes, he rose, and Gaara vanished.

* * *

They walked toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship rocked slightly in the water, sails flapping, but to Harry's surprise, went around it toward the Forbidden Forest.

"Harry, vot are you to Hermy-own-ninny?" Krum asked. Harry struggled to decipher Krum's speech.

"Hermione?" Krum glowered.

"Yes."

"Nothing. We are friends, that's all."

"She talks about you very often."

"I told you, we're friends. Nothing more."

"So then you haff not… never…"

"No." Harry said firmly, feeling dwarfed by Krum's height. The boy looked marginally happier.

"You fly vell. I votched the first task."

"Thanks, but you're really much more—" something stirred behind the trees, and Harry grabbed for Krum. The older boy seemed surprised, until Harry pointed into the woods.

"Did you see that?" he gasped.

"See vot?"

A man staggered out from behind an oak, and Harry stopped himself from hexing the man to kingdom come in shock.

Bartemius Crouch looked less than healthy, and certainly did not seem to be taking a vacation. His knees were bloody, and his filthy mustache and hair were long and unkempt.

Gaara appeared out of thin air at Harry's elbow, his eyes curious and his manner that of a cautious cat who had just discovered a new toy.

"Amazing," he breathed. "Here you are. I have been looking for you, Crouch. What were you doing, I wonder?"

"When you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students attending the tournament. Twelve, I think." Gaara cocked his head, but Crouch babbled on, addressing the nearby tree very seriously.

"Send another to Madame Maxime, she might want to up the number of students she's bringing. Do that, will you, Weatherby? Will you? Will…" His eyes bulged, and he gave a strangled gasp, sagging sideways and slumping to the ground.

"Mr. Crouch, are you alright?" Harry asked loudly. Gaara was at the man's side in an instant.

"Does he look alright to you, Potter?" Harry jumped. Gaara's voice was not his own, and when the boy glanced up, Harry caught sight of gold and black pupils.

"Gaara?" he asked. Gaara snorted.

"Shut up and take a guess, brat," he replied. Krum, miffed and anxious, glanced back and forth between them. Shukaku looked up at him.

"Who're you?"

"Victor Krum, champion for Durmstrang."

"Another one I cannot kill…" the demon muttered, checking Crouch's vital signs with medical efficiency.

"Vot is wrong vit' him?" Krum gestured to Crouch, his eyes scanning the surrounding trees. Harry was more worried about the danger of the demon in human skin crouching over the sick man's body than anything else, remembering the last time he had encountered the creature. Luckily, Shukaku seemed to be distracted, focusing on the matter at hand rather than going on a rampage.

"Nothing that a quick little burial cannot take care of," he huffed, raising Crouch's head slightly. The man's eyes rolled like billiard balls.

"Dumbledore! Must… see… need… Dumbledore!" he gasped, grabbing Shukaku by his gourd strap and dragging him forward. The demon struggled before relaxing in his grip at some inaudible command.

"If you say so, kid," Shukaku rolled his eyes in response to whatever Gaara was saying in his mind. Harry watched with terrified fascination. "Well, Crouch, if you get up, we can—"

"I've done… stupid… most stupid… how could I have… tell Dumbledore, please… someone." A trickle of spittle slid down his chin. Harry helped Shukaku pry Crouch's hands off Gaara's clothes.

Crouch just seemed to notice them. "Who…?" Every syllable was a visible effort, and his eyes jumped in their sockets.

"I'm one of Dumbledore's hired guards, and the other two are students." Shukaku said smoothly.

"Warn…" Crouch began, but he suddenly turned to a nearby tree and commenced conversing with it as if he was simply having tea. "Thank you, Weatherby. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, and we are going to a concert tonight with the Fudges."

"He's mad!" Krum exclaimed.

"I see that," Shukaku said acidly. "Well, what are you lot waiting for? Go get your dumb door," he paused, cocking his head. "Dumbledore," he corrected himself, grimacing. "Like I said, whatever you say, kid."

"Why are you helping us?" Harry asked. "I mean, last time…"

"A life for a life, kid. It's the law of exchange. I owe Sakura and you lot a favor for helping me when the little brat got poisoned, so I'm paying it back right now. Now beat it, before I decide the debt has been paid and take it out of your hide."

Harry and Krum scrambled up the rise, and Shukaku squatted next to the babbling judge. "Gaara says you're important to what's going on here," he picked up one of Crouch's hands by the finger as if considering breaking it, but let go instead, watching as it fell limp next to his side. "The world has become much more complex, hasn't it? I miss the days when, if you wanted to kill someone, you could kill him, and that was that."

* * *

Phew…


	15. In the Doldrums

Oh. My. Goodness. It updated. Okay. But seriously, folks, I've lost so much interest in this story that it feels like I am putting needles through my eyes every time I lift a finger to work on this... whine, complain, moan. Thanks for putting up with me, people. This probably isn't awesome, but I felt like I had to put something out.

* * *

Harry took the stairs three at a time, winding round and round the tower leading to Dumbledore's office, Krum on his tail. When he was face to face with the gargoyle in the empty corridor, he gasped, "Sherbet lemon," with his hands on his knees and his head down. When he looked up, the gargoyle still glowered at him malevolently with its stone snarl. "Cockroach clusters, Sugar Quills, Fizzing whizbees!" he shouted, but the gargoyle did not move, not even when he lifted his foot to kick at its base. Just as his yielding toe was about to come into painful contact with unyielding, unforgiving rock, the door slid open. Fortunately, for Harry, he did not kick the gargoyle. Unfortunately, for Harry, he violently kicked the shins of Severus Snape. The teacher, shifting his weight off his sore leg, stared down the length of his hooked nose through his curtain of greasy hair, much like a mountain lion that found a weak deer beneath its perch. When he spotted Krum, his lip curled into a contemptuous sneer.

"Well, well, well. I think a detention might be in order, _Potter_. What are you doing here?" the words were deliberately slow, acid dripping from every syllable.

"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted. "It's Mr. Crouch, he's just turned up on the edge of the forest, and he asked—"

"What is this rubbish?" Snape asked slowly. Harry felt like ripping his hair out.

"Mr. Crouch, from the Ministry! He's gone _mad_! Please, I'll do detention for the rest of my life, just give me the password and—"

"The headmaster is busy, Potter," Snape said unpleasantly, looking as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.

"I've got to—"

"Didn't you hear me, Potter?" Snape asked, and Harry almost burst into tears just as there was an ear-shattering roar from outside. The door slid open, and Dumbledore came out faster than could be believed possible.

"To the Forest, Severus, quickly! Harry, you too," he said.

Down the stairs they flew, Harry struggling to make haste while not tumbling down the stairs headfirst. The forest loomed to the left as they rushed for where they left Shukaku alone with Crouch, branches reaching like ragged hands and fingers for them and broken boughs like jagged teeth.

When they returned to the spot, they found Shukaku in full form, one massive claw pinning an unfortunate Mr. Crouch to the ground and the other just about to stave his head into pulp.

"Shukaku!" Dumbledore bellowed, and distracted, the demon looked up, yellow eyes glowing angrily in the gloom. "What business do you have tonight, that you would assault a member of the Ministry of Magic?"

"Me? Assaulting _him?_ _He attacked me! This little flea attacked me!_" the demon screeched, thick tail whipping in agitation.

"Preposterous," Snape whispered. "There is no reason we can trust you. We have heard of you, Shukaku, and know where your tastes lie."

"You are one to speak of trust, Severus Snape," Shukaku hummed. "You owe it to that little brat Potter that I don't kill you _all_ here and now; but after this, I'll call my debt to you square. I think I have done more than enough." Then he gave a pained growl and pressed a hand to his head. "It's not enough, not yet!" he snarled. "I can't forgive him, not yet! He tried to attack us! I will have his blood."

Yet, even as he screamed his anger, sand began to run from his body, crumbling and cracking, until all that remained was Gaara, covered in sweat and clutching his head, mumbling to himself. Mr. Crouch remained on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. Dumbledore was at his side in an instant, checking his pulse.

"Alive, but severely spelled," he announced, flicking his wand and conjuring a floating stretcher beneath the poleaxed man. "We must get him to the infirmary, quickly…"

The voices of the adults faded to a hum in the back of Harry's mind as he approached, Gaara, who had lowered his hand but now glared at the forest with narrowed eyes, as if he could somehow pierce the deepest secrets of the darkness with his eyesight alone.

Harry reached for his shoulder to stir him from his trance.

"Are you ok—"

Gaara pushed his hand away with unwarranted force, so much that his hand stung.

"_Don't touch me._" The younger boy's voice grated harshly in his throat as green, glass marble eyes locked onto Harry's face. Startled, Harry stepped back, his hands held up in his best placating gesture. Seeing his hurt face, Gaara softened slightly, realizing how cruel he sounded.

"I… apologize for my rudeness. It is just that… _he_ is very close to the surface right now. And…"

"And?" Harry prompted, seeing Gaara turn back to the Forbidden Forest.

"When I was gone, I dreamed about Temari. She told me that what she did was against her will." Gaara shook his head. "But I have learned not to take much stock in dreams."

"It could have been some sort of divination," Harry tried to be helpful, but Gaara only raised an invisible eyebrow. "I think that divination is a load of hogwash, though." he supplied hastily. Gaara merely turned away.

"I suppose that I must say only that the dream was something that comforted me. I cannot say that it was true, for believing in a dream—no, an illusion—is what gets a ninja killed." he murmured.

"But what about Naruto? I would bet he has huge dreams."

"Uzumaki Naruto… is very special." Gaara turned his eyes toward the stars, twinkling at them from high above.

"How so?"

Gaara shook his head, marching back to the castle as he quickly regained his businesslike demeanor. "I have said enough for today."

* * *

Gaara listened to the dull, humming voice of Professor Trelawney and tried to take as tiny breaths as possible. How the woman could withstand the heavily perfumed air of her tiny tower still eluded him.

"And now, if you would look at Mars—" he vaguely heard her drone, before Harry began to scream. He thrashed on the floor, and relieved for something to distract him, Gaara moved to his side in an instant, grabbing the boy's wrists before he could hurt himself and delivering a brisk slap to his face. Harry jerked, eyes watering, then focused on the faces of Hermione and Ron, who leaned over him worriedly.

Then Trelawney appeared, pushing all three out of the way. "What was it, Potter? A premonition? Apparition? What did you see?"

"Nothing," Harry mumbled, removing his glasses and wiping sweat from his face. "It was just a bad dream.

"You were rolling on the floor clutching your scar!" Trelawney shrieked excitedly. "Tell me, Potter, I have experience in these matters! If you go now you will lose the opportunity to see farther than you ever have—"

"All I want to see is a headache cure." Harry said tartly, before leaving. Gaara followed him, a vigilant shadow. Harry glared at him. "Go away."

The ninja ignored him and continued walking behind him, his feet not even making sounds against the floor.

"I said go away!" Harry's voice echoed down the corridor—_go away! Away! Away!_

Gaara merely scowled, and brushed the outburst aside.

"You wanted a headache cure, did you not? This is not the way to the hospital wing."

"I _know_ that!" Harry barked. "But this is not really a headache, it's my scar!"

He stormed up to the headmaster's office, and began screaming the names of random wizard candies at the gargoyle's snarling face.

"Chocolate Frog! Sugar Quil! Fizzing Whizbee!"

"Cockroach Cluster." Gaara said impassively, and the gargoyle sprang aside. Harry sighed, nodding in thanks, and began to climb the stair, but Gaara grabbed his arm.

"There are voices above."

Silently climbing the stairs, Gaara pressed his ear to the door.

"…And what do you think's happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" Moody growled.

"I see two possibilities," came the voice of Cornelius Fudge. "He has finally cracked and lost his mind. I' m sure you'll agree, given his family history. Or, where did you say he was found? Just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman _is_?"

"A very able Headmistress, and a most excellent dancer," Dumbledore answered quietly. Gaara shook his head, as did Harry. That woman was not human. "Yet, I no more suspect Madame Maxime of foul play than Hagrid."

"Can we wrap this discussion up?" Moody grated.

"Yes, and perhaps an inspection of the grounds are in order," Fudge said quickly.

"No, it's that Potter and his friend are waiting outside the door."

Gaara flinched, realizing that Moody's eye could see through wood, while Harry jumped. Gaara quickly straightened and bowed to the gnarled Professor as soon as the door opened.

"Harry! How are you?" the Minister of Magic, a seemingly jovial man, moved forward, brushing past Gaara to shake Harry's hand. "We're just about to go for a short walk on the grounds… perhaps if you would just go back to class—"

"He needs to speak to Professor Dumbledore," Gaara said quietly. "It is an important matter."

Dumbledore's eyes took on a sharp look as he looked the two of them over, then he nodded. "Wait here for me, you two. I will not take long."

The door shut, plunging them into awkward silence. Gaara stealthily made his way to Fawkes, who looked up at him and keened musically as the ninja stroked his vermillion head. Harry wandered through the room; neither said a word to each other, and there was nothing to be said. Harry watched the Sand ninja from the corner of his eye, feeling guilty for unfairly lashing out at him despite all that he had done to aid him. Strangely enough, he could not bring himself to say sorry; he simply did not _want_ to apologize.

Harry quickly distracted himself with examining the door of an ornamental cabinet that had not been locked properly. A faint green light, alluring and flickering, seemed to call to him. Opening the door, he found a stone bowl inside, images whirling and flickering in the depths.

"_He's growing stronger, stronger than ever before… and he is angry._" Snape's voice floated from the liquid, and Harry leaned closer, intrigued, before he was falling, falling, falling—

Gaara turned from where Fawkes nibbled at his fingers when he heard the soft splash of something hitting liquid behind him. Harry was bent over a table wherein rested a stone bowl he recognized as a pensieve. The strange, silvery green liquid within covered his face, and he twitched convulsively every now and then. In an instant, Gaara raced to his side, grabbing Harry by the collar of his shirt and hauling him from the pensive. Harry looked up at him, panting slightly, his green eyes skittish and dancing with strange light.

"In there—I heard—saw—there was a trial—" Harry gasped. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have looked."

Dumbledore soundlessly approached from behind them. "Do not worry, curiosity is no sin. But we should exercise caution with our curiosity… yes indeed…"

Harry fumbled for a moment, then said tentatively, "Professor—do you think he's getting stronger?"

"I can only give you my suspicions. There have been many disappearances lately."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Temari, too, and Crouch. Two disappearances from your grounds, though we found one."

Dumbledore nodded. "Thanks to Shukaku, Crouch was recovered and sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."

"And the other?"

"Bertha Jorkins? It is presumed she is dead."

Gaara looked away.

_I won't let that happen to you, Temari. The next time I see you, I'm not letting you slip away._


	16. Goodbye, Harry! Author's Note

Hello, readers! So, I've been dragging my feet lately a lot on this story. Really, I can't keep it up anymore. I don't like Naruto anymore, and I've lost interest in Harry Potter. He was so much of a jerk in the movies that I can't think about much else than Harry bashing anymore. I've given all my love to my Final Fantasy XII fictions, so pretty much my heart shriveled on this one. Sorry. I won't say that I'm going to miss this story or I am sad to let it go.

BUT! I have GOOD news! I hope! My friend **Yotsuba of the Cicadas **is willing to take this story over from me, and she likes Harry Potter MUCH more than I do, and Naruto too. I think. SO! I will be posting her chapters here for the first few times, but then I will be completely dropping this story and you'll have to visit Nono-chan's website if you want to read it. I encourage you to do so.

Cheers!

Mu (The Giant Daifuku)


End file.
